Creamy Roasted Garlic Potato Soup
Studies show garlic can lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and it was used as a medicine when the pyramids were built 5000 years ago.
With cooler weather coming, this soup is easy to make and if you leave out the 1/2 and 1/2 and get light sour cream it can be low cal too.
Tip: You can buy pre-made veggie or chicken stock at any market. Keep them in your pantry for all your soup recipes.
Yield: Serves about 6
Ingredients:
• 3 whole heads garlic, plus 2 cloves pressed through garlic press, divided use
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, diced
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon Herb de Provence
• 6 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed (roughly 2 ½ pounds)
• 4 cups chicken stock, hot
• 1 cup half and half
• ¼ cup sour cream
• Buttery Croutons (recipe below)
• Chives, minced for garnish
Preparation:
-Preheat oven to 400°.
-Cut the tops off of the three heads of garlic, drizzle with a touch of olive oil, plus a sprinkle of salt and black pepper, and wrap each head tightly in foil; roast for 45 minutes, then once cool enough to handles, squeeze the roasted cloves from their papers and set aside.
-Place a large pot over medium-high heat, and add in the butter and the oil; once melted together, add in the onion, plus a pinch of salt and black pepper, the white pepper and the Herbs de Provence, and saute for about 3-4 minutes until translucent; next add in the two, pressed garlic cloves, plus the reserved roasted garlic, and stir those in.
-Add in the cubed potatoes and the chicken stock and stir to combine, and bring to the boil; cover and simmer the soup for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
-Off the heat, use an immersion blender (or use a regular blender, but take care to work in batches as soup is very hot) to puree the soup completely, until smooth; add in the half & half, plus the sour cream, and use the immersion blender once more to incorporate those. (The soup should be velvety and creamy.)
-Check to see if any additional salt/pepper is needed, and serve the soup with some Buttery Croutons, plus a sprinkle of chives, if desired.
Buttery Croutons Ingredients:
• 4 ounces French baguette, small cube
• ¼ cup unsalted, melted butter
• ¼ teaspoon granulated onion
• ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
• Salt
• Black pepper
Preparation:
-Preheat the oven to 425°, and line a baking sheet with foil.
-Toss the cubed bread with the butter, the granulated onion and garlic, plus a couple of pinches of salt and pepper; turn out onto the baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp.
-Store any unused croutons in a ziplock bag (can be re-toasted in a toaster oven, as well.)
