Hello lovelies,
we are back from a wonderful skiing weekend in Austria (you can read more about it on the blog next week). We were spoiled with a 4-course dinner at the hotel every night, so at home it's time to get "back to basics" again, and for me that starts with a big bowl of something uncooked, like my fennel salad with pear, feta and pistachios with a honey mustard dressing. Over the next few weeks I'll share lots of healthy, balanced meals that also fit easily into busy family life. My goal for the new year is to cook even more with local and seasonal produce – potatoes and lentils especially.
The recipe I want to share with you today is a special request from my daughters, because this creamy potato soup with veggies is their absolute favorite soup. Ever since I first made it last year, it sits right at the top of their wish list. That makes me very happy of course, because a classic potato soup is nourishing, healthy, and with the colourful garnish of potato, sweet potato and carrot it can be varied again and again. And it turns creamy without any dairy – thanks to floury potatoes and a dash of vegan oat cream. The last potatoes in the bag go into this pot first, since a soup is less fussy than a salad, and storing potatoes so they last starts long before the stove. This is exactly the soup I like to make in a double batch, because it keeps well and freezes in portions. Which times apply, and why fast cooling matters so much, is under cooking ahead and freezing properly.
Potato soup is wonderfully versatile, and that's exactly why I love it so much. Instead of celeriac you can add leek, and if you prefer marjoram, use it in place of the thyme. As toppings, croutons, sautéed mushrooms or roasted veggies like pumpkin, fennel or beetroot all work beautifully. As you can see, there's no limit to your imagination! For a heartier bowl I serve it with fresh bread, or scatter a few extra roasted vegetables on top.
The colour alone puts everyone in a good mood, and the soup warms you from the inside on a grey winter's day. The potatoes make it filling and comforting, while the sweet potato and carrots add a gentle natural sweetness that the kids adore; in my sweet potato fennel soup with orange that same sweet potato carries the whole pot instead of riding along as a garnish, but this soup here stays a potato soup. I deliberately keep it simple, because that's how my daughters love it best.
Do you have real soup lovers at home too? If you'd like to cook your way through my soup kitchen, be sure to try my velvety cauliflower-potato soup – another creamy winter favourite – or, for cold days, my warming sweet potato & pumpkin soup. And when it needs to be quick and colourful, my carrot-lentil soup is ready in 30 minutes. I really hope you're just as excited as I am about all the potato recipes still to come, and I look forward to your feedback.
