Russian Mushroom and Potato Soup

I must admit I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and it had great reviews so I decided to try it. It seems that lately Brian and I can't find many meals that we both really like. But this one we both really liked. I was a bit worried about the dill being too overpowering in the recipe for Brian's taste (he doesn't prefer dill) but it wasn't at all overpowering and he went back for a second big bowl. And it was quite easy to make and since there is not meat, it was relatively inexpensive, even for Geneva. Give it a try. Here is the original link to the recipe on allrecipes.com. Check out the reviews for fun twists on the original recipe. They call it a soup but it is really more like a great chowder to me. Yes, I know chowders are a kind of soup but I'm trying to be as specific as possilbe here.

Russian Mushroom and Potato Soup (Chowder)

INGREDIENTS
5 tablespoons butter, divided
2 leeks, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced
6 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
fresh dill weed, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Mix in leeks and carrots, and cook 5 minutes. Pour in broth. Season with dill, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Mix in potatoes, cover, and cook 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender but firm. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Melt the remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the mushrooms 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Stir into the soup.

In a small bowl, mix the half-and-half and flour until smooth. Stir into the soup to thicken. Garnish each bowl of soup with fresh dill to serve.