Potato Roquefort Soup

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse

1 Tbls. butter
2 cups sliced Leeks or onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 to 1 1/2 lb. Yukon Gold Potatoes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne
1 bay leaf
2 cups veg. stock
1 cup cream (or 1 can evaporated milk)
1/2 cup crumbled Roquefort, or other blue cheese
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 Tbls. Tawny Port wine
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

Peel or scrub potatoes and cut into 1-inch chunks. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add leeks or onions and cook, stirring, until just beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, cook and stir for 30 seconds. Add potatoes, salt, pepper, cayenne, and bay leaf; cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Pour in stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Remove from the heat and puree with a hand- held immersion blender, or in batches in a food processor, until smooth. Add cream, and stir well to blend. Gently reheat being careful not to boil. Add thyme, Port, and 3/4 of the cheese; whisk until the cheese is just melted. Adjust the seasonings, to taste. Ladle soup into 4 bowls, and top with the remaining cheese, crumbled bacon, if using and several leaves of fresh Parsley.