Although we don’t have an allotment of our own – yet – we are very lucky to have friends and family who do.
At this time of the year we start getting offered bags and bags of fruit and veg. Sometimes, so much that we don’t know what to do with it all! Just last week, I found myself Googling whether or not you could pickle carrots of all things!!!
This recipe for Roasted Garlic, Shallot and Potato Soup first came about when we were given a carrier bag of shallots and with no idea what to do with them. It’s been a firm favourite ever since.
Ingredients
- 1 bulb of garlic (not to be confused with a single clove)
- 300g shallots
- 500g potatoes
- 2 cubes vegetable stock
- A handful of fresh parsley
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to gas mark 6. Place the garlic, drizzled with olive oil, in a parcel of tinfoil.
- Roast in the oven for 15 minutes until the garlic is soft and caramelized slightly.
- In the meantime, finely chop the shallots and fry off in a little oil and salt in a saucepan. Cook on a medium heat until they become translucent.
- Dice the potatoes roughly 1cm-cubed and add to the shallots.
- Fry for just a few minutes before adding the stock. Keeping the pan on a low heat, let the onions and potatoes simmer for 15mins or until the potatoes begin to soften.
- Pour the mixture into a blender/food processor and blitz until smooth along with ⅔ of the parsley (chopped) and the softened garlic.
- Once the mixture is smooth, return to the pan to heat through. Season before serving.
- Sprinkle the remaining parsley over the soup once dished up.
- Serve with homemade crusty bread.
The beauty of this recipe is how simple and humble the ingredients are. When I cobbled them altogether I couldn’t help but take pictures! But I loved the vibrant green of the parsley, the luxurious red velvety skins of the potatoes and the bright white of the garlic. What do you think? Do my pictures do the ingredients justice?!
Although the ingredients are simple – and to a certain extent, the soup recipe is too – it’s important not to skip some of the steps. Roasting the garlic for example is essential to get a mellow flavours, rather than a harsh, hot flavour.
It’s also important to make sure that the potatoes have softened enough before adding them to the blender, otherwise the soup won’t be as silky or smooth.
This potato based soup is incredibly filling but I do recommend serving alongside home made bread. The parsley, shallots and garlic give a warm, hearty flavour so I’d pair it with something simple – heavily flavoured breads won’t do well here.
I love mopping up soup with a big hunk of bread – are your a soup slurper or a bread dunker?
This sounds lovely. Going to give this a go. thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon