Garlic - Potato Soup

We made this soup on a day that was apparently very popular for potato soup. A coworker of Corey's and my mom, Linda, both mentioned to us that they had made potato soup the day after we had this soup, which reminded us how much the weather and time of year dictates what we eat. We, unfortunately, did not think on our feet and capture the opportunity to post three potato soup recipes and reviews, but never fear, we actually quite liked the soup that we made (which we of course have to share with you). This soup was creamy, without much cream added, and was perfect for dunking bread or rolls (it also paired nicely with salad for leftovers). All around a fairly good soup that we both enjoyed. If you enjoy a chunky soup, we would suggest that you use a potato masher instead of a stick blender, in the final step of this recipe to maintain the chunkiness that we lost in our version. (Another word of advice, if you're sensitive to garlic and heartburn, you'll want to stay away from this recipe.)

Servings: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

Garlic Chips

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced thin lengthwise
• Salt

Soup

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, washed, and chopped small
• 3 garlic cloves, minced, plus 2 whole garlic heads, rinsed, top third cut off and discarded, and loose outer skins removed
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus extra to thin the soup, as needed
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt
• 1½ pounds russet potatoes (about 3 medium), peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 pound Red Bliss potatoes (about 6 small), unpeeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• ¼ cup minced fresh chives

Directions

1. For the Garlic Chips: Heat the oil and sliced garlic in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, turning frequently, until light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the garlic to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle lightly with salt; set aside until ready to serve. Discard the oil

2. For the Soup: Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. When the foaming subsides, add the leek and cook until softened but not browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the garlic heads, broth, bay leaves, and ¾ teaspoon salt; partially cover the pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the garlic is very tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 30 to 40 minutes. Add the potatoes and continue to simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

3 Remove and discard the bay leaves. Remove the garlic heads; using tongs or paper towels, squeeze the garlic heats at the root end until the cloves slip out of their skins into a bowl. mash the garlic to a smooth paste with a fork.

4. Stir the cream, thyme, and half of the mashed garlic into the soup; heat the soup until hot, about 2 minutes. Taste the soup and add the remaining garlic paste, if desired. Using an immersion blender, process the soup until creamy, with some potato chunks remaining. (Alternatively, transfer 1½  cups of the potatoes and 1 cup of the broth to a blender or food processor and process until soup until smooth. Process more of the potatoes for a thicker consistency, if desired.) Return the puree to the pot and stir to combine, adjusting the consistency with more broth, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish each serving with a sprinkling of chives and the reserved garlic chips.

Notes

Be very careful when you remove the garlic from the head and definitely use tongs or protection of some sort when squeezing out the garlic. Our squeezing turned into a bit of a mess that left garlic skins in our mash, which was definitely not something you want to do. If you want to preserve your garlic chips for the next day, do not put them in a plastic bag or sealed container or they will become sticky. Leave them out on a paper towl covered but not sealed.

Recipe Adapted From: 

Cook's Illustrated