Soupruary 5th: Garlic Potato

My cousin, Doug, recommended this soup to me. He's 6'9", so it's not like I was going to say "no."

Possible intimidation aside, Doug is an awesome cook, so I was pretty stoked to try this. Turns out I was correct to be stoked.

Location:
My apartment, downtown Cincinnati


Attendees:
Janice, Laura, Sebastien, Aron, Kenneth, Joshua, me

Menu:
Radishes with butter and sea salt
Tomato mozzarella skewers (brought by Laura!)
Avocado and asparagus salad (also from Laura!)
Snap peas with red peppers and grape tomatoes
Garlic potato soup
Apple crisps

Entertainment:
Catchphrase, of course
Learning to eat around Sebastien without choking from laughter

The Soup:
Oh, man, I could get really, really fat off this soup. I would eat it every day.

If I ordered this soup in a restaurant, I would be like "Dang, I am so good at ordering."


It made the apartment smell delicious and made my mouth incredibly happy. And I got to squish garlic cloves out of their skins, and that was mega fun:


Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium leek , white and light green parts halved lengthwise, washed, and chopped small (about 1 cup)
3 tablespoon minced garlic
3 heads garlic , rinsed, papery skins removed and top third of heads cut off and discarded
8 cups vegetable broth
3 bay leaves
8 cups mixed potatoes (such as Russets, peeled and chopped into cubes; red potatoes, unpeeled and chopped into cubes; Yukon gold, peeled and chopped into cubes)
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup minced scallions

Garlic Chips:
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 medium cloves garlic , sliced thin lengthwise

Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat then add leeks and cook 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook 1 minute. Add garlic heads, broth, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt; partially cover pot and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 40 minutes. Add potatoes and continue to simmer, partially covered, 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

Discard bay leaves. Remove garlic heads and squeeze the root of the garlic (use a paper towel) to pop the cloves into a bowl. Using fork, mash garlic into a smooth paste.

Stir cream, thyme, and half of mashed garlic into soup; heat soup until hot, about 2 minutes. Taste soup; add remaining garlic paste if desired. Using an immersion blender to process soup until creamy, with some potato chunks remaining.

To garnish:
Heat oil and sliced garlic in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, turning frequently, until light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer garlic to plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt. To serve, sprinkle soup with scallions and garlic chips.