This may be an unpopular opinion, but I am so glad we have entered Fall and left the sweaty heat of Summer. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of the glorious sunshine and the seemingly endless days, but I can not stand blistering heat. Thus, by the end of the Summer season, I'm able to let it go and enjoy my sweaters and hoodies and thick woolen socks.
My appreciation for this season is more than being able to wear comfy clothes, I also love soups and stews! These are so easy to prepare in quantities that allow for leftovers. The bounty of hearty vegetables, squashes, potatoes allow me to take my time in deciding the menu. Along with a nice hearty soup, I love to enjoy a grainy whole wheat bread. Inspired by the season and the bounty our CSA continues to provide, I whipped up this variation of a classic Potato Soup.
I used what I had on hand for this and enhanced the flavor where I felt I could. The first time I made potato soup was the first time I cooked leeks. This time my aromatic were shallots as I had neither leeks nor onions at the time. As the more simple version of this soup has only starch I enhanced the flavor with roasted red peppers which provided a nice depth to the creamy flavor. Potatoes are a consideration for this soup as typically I see Russet or Yukon Gold as the potato of choice. I had on hand only Red Potatoes, which worked out fine and gave me a nice excuse to use my immersion blender. Amping up the flavor I decided to sweat the shallots in some white wine, Pinot Grigio. The bright apple flavor made me think that next time I could use some apple, but I didn't this time. There are so many variations you could do with this recipe!
Ingredients:
My appreciation for this season is more than being able to wear comfy clothes, I also love soups and stews! These are so easy to prepare in quantities that allow for leftovers. The bounty of hearty vegetables, squashes, potatoes allow me to take my time in deciding the menu. Along with a nice hearty soup, I love to enjoy a grainy whole wheat bread. Inspired by the season and the bounty our CSA continues to provide, I whipped up this variation of a classic Potato Soup.
I used what I had on hand for this and enhanced the flavor where I felt I could. The first time I made potato soup was the first time I cooked leeks. This time my aromatic were shallots as I had neither leeks nor onions at the time. As the more simple version of this soup has only starch I enhanced the flavor with roasted red peppers which provided a nice depth to the creamy flavor. Potatoes are a consideration for this soup as typically I see Russet or Yukon Gold as the potato of choice. I had on hand only Red Potatoes, which worked out fine and gave me a nice excuse to use my immersion blender. Amping up the flavor I decided to sweat the shallots in some white wine, Pinot Grigio. The bright apple flavor made me think that next time I could use some apple, but I didn't this time. There are so many variations you could do with this recipe!
Ingredients:
- 1 T Olive Oil (Or cook 3 slices of bacon and reserve the drippings, then add the bacon to the finished soup)
- 8 medium Red Potatoes, medium cube (could use Yukon Gold or other potato)
- 2 shallots, diced (Could use sweet onion, leeks, Spanish onion, yellow onion, white onion...)
- 2 cloves Garlic, diced
- 1/2 C Dry White Wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
- 1/2 C Roasted Red Pepper (I used some from a jar, but you could easily roast your own with better results)
- 6 C Chicken Stock (could use Vegetable Stock)
- 1 1/2 t Dried Thyme (Or use fresh, or Rosemary, or Sage)
- 1 C Heavy Cream (Or whole milk, or 1/2 C Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt)
- Flat leaf or Curly Parsley, chopped (I had curly on hand and it was a nice addition)
Optional:
- 1/4 C Shredded Cheddar (Or Smoked Gouda, particularly with the bacon, or Fontina, or Chevre...) - I didn't use Cheese in this version
Assembly:
I recommend generally preparing, chopping, assembling all the ingredients ahead of time. In this case the soup comes together pretty slowly so you could start by chopping the shallots and garlic and cut up the potatoes while those are cooking. It all depends on your counter space and knife skills. Preparation makes for a more relaxing experience.
Heat your soup pot over medium heat with the olive oil. Add the shallots and stir until translucent (1 - 2 minutes). Add the garlic and cook stirring 1 minute more. Add the white wine and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Add the potatoes, red peppers, thyme, and broth and bring to a simmer until the potatoes easily yield to a fork or knife, (20 - 30 minutes). Remove from heat and using your stick blender (or in batches using a regular blender or food processor), blend until mostly smooth or desired texture. Stir in the heavy cream and parsley.
Serve warm with whole grain bread or crackers and enjoy!
I recommend generally preparing, chopping, assembling all the ingredients ahead of time. In this case the soup comes together pretty slowly so you could start by chopping the shallots and garlic and cut up the potatoes while those are cooking. It all depends on your counter space and knife skills. Preparation makes for a more relaxing experience.
Heat your soup pot over medium heat with the olive oil. Add the shallots and stir until translucent (1 - 2 minutes). Add the garlic and cook stirring 1 minute more. Add the white wine and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Add the potatoes, red peppers, thyme, and broth and bring to a simmer until the potatoes easily yield to a fork or knife, (20 - 30 minutes). Remove from heat and using your stick blender (or in batches using a regular blender or food processor), blend until mostly smooth or desired texture. Stir in the heavy cream and parsley.
Serve warm with whole grain bread or crackers and enjoy!
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