If you live in a cold climate, you soon learn the wonderful powers of thick soups for making you feel warmer despite the temperatures outside. Properly made, this is a soup that you can practically stand a spoon in. It's also easy to make, and reasonably inexpensive. What more can you ask for?

To start with, get a big pot...say, 4 liters or more. Put it on the stove over low heat with an entire stick of butter. While the butter is melting down, chop three garlic cloves and dice one large onion. Add the garlic and onion to the butter and cook over low heat until the onion turns translucent.

Take 3 to 4 medium leeks. Scrub them well to remove the sand (running water into the leafy end helps) and cut off the roots. Slice the white part of the leeks and a ways into the greenish parts, as long as they hold together. Add to the onions and continue cooking over low heat until the leeks are also softened.

Peel and slice about 8 to 10 good-sized potatoes. The pieces should be perhaps 10 centimeters in the largest dimension. Add the potatoes to the onions and leeks, and stir briefly to let the potatoes soak up some of the butter. Now just cover the vegetable mixture with chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste, but not too much salt -- remember there is also salt in the butter.

When the pot comes to a boil, bring it down to a simmer and cover it. Simmer for 2-3 hours. You want the potatoes to be falling-apart soft and the flavors to be blended. When you're done simmering, remove the soup from the heat and either pass it through a food mill or use a blender to cream it. Either way, you'll end up with a thick and creamy soup with a lovely flavor.

Serve in bowls garnished with a bit of paprika and parsley. Be prepared to eat two or three portions.