A Soup to Call My Own

Potato & Coconut Soup
fried onions, rosemary-chili oil

This little ditty is something I came up with on a brisk winter afternoon before going to work. In fact, it was during a really busy week and I hadn’t had time to get to the farmers' market and was left with what I had remaining from the previous week's provisions: potatoes, onions, garlic, and chilies. I was rooting around in the fridge to see what else I could gather and found some left over coconut milk from a vegetable curry I had made the week prior and a rosemary sprig I had clipped from the backyard; it all clicked. I love the sweet, creamy texture of coconut milk and how it plays off of spicy heat, so I decided to make a smooth potato soup. I had some left over onion, so I sliced it thin and quickly fried it in some olive oil. I had just retrieved the last of the crisp onions from the oil and let them drain on a paper towel, when I decided not to waste the oil. So I chopped up a couple fresh chilies I had and threw them in the warm oil to let it infuse as my soup finished cooking.

- 5 large russet potatoes, peeled & diced
- 1 large yellow onion, ¾ diced + ¼ reserved and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 quart good quality chicken stock
- 1 can coconut milk (not the light stuff)
- 1 - 4 chilie (Use thai chilies, serranos, dried chili flakes, etc…)
- 2 inch sprig of rosemary
- 1 cup olive oil
- Salt & pepper

1)Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add a skim of olive oil and add the onion. Sautee the onion, avoiding browning, for a few minutes until translucent and soft. Then add your garlic and potatoes, stirring for a couple minutes to soften the garlic. Reserve a few pieces of potato to test oil.

2)Add your chicken stock and coconut milk and enough water to cover the potatoes by about a half inch. Add a pinch of salt and some pepper then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are soft but not falling apart. About 10-15 minutes.

3)While soup is simmering, heat your ½ cup oil in a small sauce pot over medium heat. Test it by adding a piece of diced potato; when the potato is golden brown, the oil is ready. Adjust heat to maintain the oil temperature. (The oil should never smoke!) Add your sliced onion and fry until brown and crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, lift crispy onions out of the oil and drain on some paper towels, season them with salt immediately. Turn off your heat and allow the oil to cool for 5 minutes.

4)For the chili oil, use a combination of chilies or whatever you have on hand. Make it as spicy as you like. Slice your chilies thinly and add to the warm oil along with the rosemary sprig. Allow them to steep for 10-15 minutes. Taste and adjust heat by adding more chilies or more oil. Cooled completely, the oil will keep for weeks. (Great for frying eggs or adding a zip of heat to pasta!)

5)Remove the bay leaf. Ladle the soup into a blender, only filling it up 2/3 the way to avoid a messy explosion! A goo dway to prevent this is to put the top on the blender and begin with the lowest speed and gradually increase the speed until you’ve reached the fastest. Puree the soup in batches until smooth, adding more water or stock as necessary to achieve desired consistency. Return soup to pot over low heat to stay warm. Taste & adjust for seasoning.

6)Ladle soup into warm bowels, sprinkle with fried onions, a pinch of black pepper, and drizzle with chili oil to taste. Serve!