Potato Soup

Fall is the perfect time for soup. You can use late summer corn or fall root veggies in the same dish.  This potato soup is a great autumn meal because it can be served warm or cold, depending on the weather.

Servings: 4-6

Time:    Prep: 20 minutes; Cook: 45 minutes
Hardware:  Measuring spoons and cups, a cutting board and knives, large soup pot, a skillet, an emulsion blender (or a food chopper, or food processor), a wooden spoon, a ladle, serving bowls

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 ½ pounds potatoes
• 4 cups low sodium broth (you can use chicken or vegetable)
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
• ¼ teaspoon fennel
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup whole milk
• 1 small carrot
• paprika

1. Slice the onion into rings. Place the rings into the skillet with a little water.  You don’t want them to float or be covered.  Place them on medium high heat and allow the water to evaporate.  This will take about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
2. While the onions are cooking down, peel the potatoes and cut them into small chunks.  Try to make the chunks the same size.
3. Clean and chop the garlic and rosemary.  Set aside.
4. Shred the carrots.
5. Put the potatoes, rosemary, fennel, and salt in the soup pot.  Cover in broth and bring to a gentle boil.
6. By this time, the water should have evaporated from the onions.  Turn the heat to medium and add the butter and garlic to the pan.  The onions should just be bubbling.  Stir often.  Cook until the onions are caramel colored.  This will take another 15 minutes.
7.  Add the onions (and the butter) to the soup.  Boil until the potatoes are tender.  Use the immersion blender to cream the soup until it is the consistency of thick pancake batter.  (You can also add the soup to a blender.  Just make sure the lid is tilted or the heat will cause the lid to blow off your blender.  Not fun.)
8. Turn the heat off and stir in the milk.
9. To serve, ladle a serving into a bowl.  Sprinkle on a little paprika and top with carrots.
10. You can serve this soup warm or chill it and serve cold.

6. Caramelized onions