It is cold, wet and windy outside and there is a big storm coming our way. We (Cara and I) embraced the weather this morning and went for a run down the pier at seven am. Half way back, we got caught in the rain which felt like ice and then the wind picked up and we nearly blew away! To reward ourselves, we got mochas on the way home from our favourite local good food store. Well I say we but the coffee was just for me and yes, I brought one for D too who is still of course curled up in bed (lucky sod!).
For a day such as this, as we take down the tree and try to keep warm, I am making one of my favourite soups. Roasted garlic and potato. I make this soup differently each time, depending on the ingredients to hand and also what mood I am in. While Christmas food shopping, our supermarket had an amazing deal or two. We got our cabbage (see post titled ‘with a blink of an eye’) and carrots for 5 cent a bag. Being such a good deal we also availed of the potato deal too. We now have five large bags of spuds in our cupboard under the stairs. Five! I think I am going to have to make a lot of potato dishes. This soup was made in an effort to use them up but I still have four and a half bags left. I hope you all like potatoes!
ROASTED GARLIC AND POTATO SOUP
As I already mentioned, there are different ways to make this soup. As I had lots, I used potatoes. But there are times that I have a half loaf of stale bread lying around so I omit the potatoes and use chunks of bread to thicken this soup instead. And you can spice it up a little with chilli and cumin depending on your mood.
- 3 heads of garlic
- 3 medium onions
- 900 g potatoes, peeled and cubed (around 750 g after peeling and cubing) or half a loaf of stale sourdough bread
- 850 ml of stock, I used my turkey stock made after christmas
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 100 ml cream
- 5 sprigs of thyme (you can use rosemary also)
- salt and pepper
- creme fraiche or natural yogurt to garnish
THE HOW
Heat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
Cut the bottom (the root) off your garlic heads and place on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Cut 2 of your onions into quarters and add to the garlic tray. Place the thyme over the onion and garlic and drizzle with oil and season. Fold the edges of the foil over the garlic and onions and seal like a little parcel. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool. Once cooled, squeeze the garlic cloves from the head. With a fork, gently break up the garlic.
Chop your remaining onion roughly. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion. Cook for about 7-10 minutes on a medium heat to soften. Add your diced potatoes and stir to coat in the oil. Add your stock, then add your squashed garlic and the onions and thyme that you roasted with the garlic. Season, stir and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.
Once the potatoes are cooked add your cream and blend (I used my hand held blender but you can use a food processor or whatever you have). Serve with a dollop of the yogurt or creme fraiche and a sprinkle of thyme.
Kitchen Feasts 