Hot Soup on a Cold Night
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| Enjoy with a glass of the wine you used. |
Normally when a recipe calls for crème fraîche, I grab sour cream and don't even bother looking in the store, but I decided that in order to do the recipe justice, I needed to follow directions as much as possible. I found crème fraîche at Publix in the section with the cream cheese; it came in a 7-ounce tub, which I decided was close enough.
We decided the Crispy Shallots looked too tasty in the photo to skip, so we made them...WELL worth it. I couldn't find my candy thermometer (it had recently been used for frying Christmas turkey), so we just kept the heat low and watched it carefully. It must have still been a little on the hot side, because they didn't take nearly 30 minutes. Pull them out a minute or two before you think they're done. Our first batch, while still tasty, was perhaps a little on the toasty side.
We decided the Crispy Shallots looked too tasty in the photo to skip, so we made them...WELL worth it. I couldn't find my candy thermometer (it had recently been used for frying Christmas turkey), so we just kept the heat low and watched it carefully. It must have still been a little on the hot side, because they didn't take nearly 30 minutes. Pull them out a minute or two before you think they're done. Our first batch, while still tasty, was perhaps a little on the toasty side.
This soup also reheated well and ended up feeding us close to 3 meals. It's definitely going in the "keeper" file!
Roasted Potato Leek Soup
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch chunks
4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts, cleaned of all sand
¼ cup good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 cups baby arugula, lightly packed
½ cup dry white wine, plus extra for serving
6 to 7 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
¼ cup heavy cream
8 ounces crème fraîche
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
Crispy Shallots, optional (see below)
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Combine the potatoes and leeks on a sheet pan in a single layer. Add the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and toss to coat the vegetables evenly. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes, turning them with a spatula a few times during cooking, until very tender. Add the arugula and toss to combine. Roast for 4 to 5 minutes, until the arugula has wilted. Remove the pan from the oven and place over two burners. Stir in the wine and 1 cup of the chicken stock and cook over low heat, scraping up any crispy roasted bits sticking to the pan.
In batches, transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor fitted with a steel blade, adding the pan liquid and about 5 cups of the chicken stock to make a purée. Pour the purée into a large pot or Dutch oven. Continue to purée the vegetables in batches until they’re all done and combined in the pot. Add enough of the remaining 1 to 2 cups chicken stock to make a thick soup. Add the cream, crème fraîche, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and check the seasonings.
When ready to serve, reheat the soup gently and whisk in 2 tablespoons white wine and the Parmesan cheese. Serve hot with an extra grating of Parmesan cheese and Crispy Shallots, if using.
Serves 6 to 8
4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts, cleaned of all sand
¼ cup good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 cups baby arugula, lightly packed
½ cup dry white wine, plus extra for serving
6 to 7 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
¼ cup heavy cream
8 ounces crème fraîche
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
Crispy Shallots, optional (see below)
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Combine the potatoes and leeks on a sheet pan in a single layer. Add the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and toss to coat the vegetables evenly. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes, turning them with a spatula a few times during cooking, until very tender. Add the arugula and toss to combine. Roast for 4 to 5 minutes, until the arugula has wilted. Remove the pan from the oven and place over two burners. Stir in the wine and 1 cup of the chicken stock and cook over low heat, scraping up any crispy roasted bits sticking to the pan.
In batches, transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor fitted with a steel blade, adding the pan liquid and about 5 cups of the chicken stock to make a purée. Pour the purée into a large pot or Dutch oven. Continue to purée the vegetables in batches until they’re all done and combined in the pot. Add enough of the remaining 1 to 2 cups chicken stock to make a thick soup. Add the cream, crème fraîche, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and check the seasonings.
When ready to serve, reheat the soup gently and whisk in 2 tablespoons white wine and the Parmesan cheese. Serve hot with an extra grating of Parmesan cheese and Crispy Shallots, if using.
Serves 6 to 8
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| Pre-roasted veggies. They got crispy and delicious, but I forgot to snap a pic. |
Crispy Shallots
1½ cups olive oil or vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 to 6 shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings
Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer.
Reduce the heat to low, add the shallots, and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until they are a rich golden brown. Stir the shallots occasionally to ensure they brown evenly. Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon, drain well, and spread out to cool on paper towels. Once they have dried and crisped, they can be stored at room temperature, covered, for several days.
Makes about ½ cup
1½ cups olive oil or vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 to 6 shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings
Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer.
Reduce the heat to low, add the shallots, and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until they are a rich golden brown. Stir the shallots occasionally to ensure they brown evenly. Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon, drain well, and spread out to cool on paper towels. Once they have dried and crisped, they can be stored at room temperature, covered, for several days.
Makes about ½ cup
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