Sweet Potato and Roasted Garlic Soup
Serves 4 – 6
This warming winter soup uses sweet potatoes that are now readily available,
but you can of course substitute ordinary potatoes in the recipe if you wish.
- 2 whole garlic bulbs
- 1 – 1¼ litres stock (chicken or vegetable)
- 2 tbs oil
- 2 tbs thyme leaves – removed from stems
- 2 onions – coarsely chopped
- 6 tbs crème fraiche
- 1 kg sweet potatoes – peeled and coarsely chopped
- chopped french parsley to garnish
Heat the oven to 350F, Gas mark 4 or 180C.
Separate the garlic into individual cloves and put onto a small baking tray – unpeeled.
Drizzle with 1 tbs of the oil and roast for about 15 minutes until soft. Set aside to cool.
Heat the remaining oil in a large pan and gently cook the onions until very soft and only just coloured.
Add the sweet potato pieces and the thyme leaves.
Cover with a lid and leave to sweat for a further 5 minutes.
Add 1 litre of the stock and simmer the pan gently uncovered for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender.
Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its papery peel into a small bowl.
Stir this garlic pulp into the soup and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
Blend the soup to a smooth puree adding the remaining stock if it is too thick,
stir in the crème fraiche and add seasoning to taste.