Baked Potato Soup

I know what you’re thinking: “But where’s the baked potato?” (A few people have already asked.) The title is a phrase on the taste and toppings of baked potatoes. I did, of course, originally consider starting with baked potatoes but rejected this method because of time constraints, textural anxieties and flavor worries. That said, should you want to adhere closer to the baked potato theme, or have leftover baked potatoes that you’d choice to use, I’d add them in chunks just when you’d add the raw ones, but only cook it for 10 minutes, not 16 to 20, before finishing the soup.

Skins or no skins? Your choice. I went without peels because I wanted a light-colored soup but leaving the peels on would amp up the baked potato flavor, for sure.

More changes I made to the innovative recipe: I used less garlic (and start a way for you to use the whole head, not 2/3 of it and a few extra cloves), more leeks, less broth, sour cream instead of heavy cream, all Russets instead of half Red Bliss potatoes and all sorts of toppings I doubt CI would like of. Their loss. This soup is the perfect January antidote.

Ingredients

1 head garlic
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium leeks, white and light green slices halved lengthwise, washed, and chopped small
5 to 6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth.

2 bay leaves
Salt of amount
2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and slice into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup sour cream
Ground black pepper

How to make Baked Potato Soup

Rinse the head of garlic to remove any outside gravel or dirt. Slice the top third off the head and peel any loose papery peels off the bottom two-thirds. In its place of discarding the top third, pop out a bunch (or all) of the garlic clove tips and mincemeat them. If you’re Deb, respire a sigh of relief that you have wasted nothing.

In a big, heavy pot, liquefy the butter over medium heat. Add leeks and cook them until lenient (but not brown), about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook another minute. Add the bigger part of the garlic head, broth, bay leaves and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat and simmer until garlic is very kind when pierced with tip of knife, 35 to 40 minutes. Add potatoes and continue to simmer, partly covered, until potatoes are tender, about 16 to 20 minutes.

Discard bay leaves. Remove garlic heads. Optional: If you’d choice extra garlic boost to the soup, using tongs or paper towels, squeeze garlic head at root end until cloves slip out of their skins. Using a fork, mash the garlic cloves to even paste and add it back to the soup.

Add sour cream to soup and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper to taste. Using immersion mixer, process soup until chunky-creamy, leaving lots of potato texture intact.

Serve with some makes you happy on top or nothing at all.

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French Onion Soup

The trick to a great French Onion Soup is starting with decent stock. French onion soup is typically made with beef stock. I've made beautiful soup with stock from the leftover rib and chine bones of a rib roast. Another important component is the proper caramelization of the onions. Caramelizing onions take at least thirty minutes of gentle cooking the onions over medium high heat. The browning, or caramelizing, of the onions brings out the sweetness in them.

This is a best way of making use of the onions from your garden. You'll previously have most of the other ingredients in your kitchen cupboard so no need to buy lots of ingredients. 

Don't be fooled by the detail that this is a French Onion Soup recipe! It's just about a main meal when combined with the bread and cheese. 

Ingredients

• 6 large red or yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced.
• Olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon of sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 cups of beef stock, chicken stock or a combination of the two (usually the soup is made with beef stock)
• 1/2 cup of dry vermouth or dry white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon of dry thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 8 slices of toasted French bread
• 1 1/2 cups of grated Swiss Gruyere with a little grated Parmesan cheese

How to make French Onion Soup

Start by shedding the four onions and chopping it into small bits. 

This is the most laborious slice of this recipe - it takes 10 minutes or so to chop up four onions and the waterworks will flow!

Put the onions into a frying pan; add the butter, margarine or olive oil and improvement to a medium heat. 

Turn the onions every minute or so to indemnify they are evenly cooked. Aim to cook the onions until they are a medium brown color.

Transfer the onions from the frying pan to a big pan and add all the ingredients without the cheese and bread. 

Cook the soup on an average (medium) heat for about 30 minutes. The aim is to get the onions so they are lenient but not falling apart.

While the soup is cooking, set the soup bowls in the oven to get them warm.

Cut up the French bread into parts and put them under the grill to very lightly toast them.

When lightly toasted, prevalence some cheese over each slice of bread.

Just before the soup is ready to be attended, put the cheese topped bread under the grill and cook until the cheese starts to bubble. 

The bread is then meant to be put on the top of the soup and attended. However, we weren't too keen on this so in the picture below the bread is served on a different plate.

This looks like a snack-sized meal but in fact it's quite filling.

With enough toast and a brittle green side salad, it's a meal all on its own.

Enjoy!

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