WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
What’s the secret to our creamy sweet potato soup’s deep, earthy-sweet flavor? Keeping the skins in play. Before simmering and pureeing the peeled potatoes, we coaxed out more natural sweetness by soaking them in hot water, allowing their starches to turn into pure sugar. Pureeing some of the skins along with the softened potatoes added depth to the otherwise sweet soup, a contrast we reinforced with some brown sugar and a touch of cider vinegar. The simple maple–sour cream topping adds some sweet-tangy coolness when serving the soup, and a sprinkling of minced chives adds a pop of color and delicate oniony flavor.
SERVE: 4 to 6
TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
MAPLE SOUR CREAM
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
SOUP
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 shallot, sliced thin
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4¼ cups water
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced ¼ inch thick, ¼ of peels reserved
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cider vinegar
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.MAPLE SOUR CREAM
-
- Combine ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. SOUP
-
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Add shallot and thyme sprigs and cook until shallot is softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in water and bring to simmer over high heat.
- Off heat, add sweet potatoes and reserved peels, and let stand uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Stir in sugar, vinegar, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Bring to simmer over high heat.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until potatoes are very soft, about 10 minutes.
- Discard thyme sprigs.
- Working in batches, process soup in blender until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Return soup to clean pot.
- Return to simmer, adjusting consistency if desired.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve, topping each portion with a sprinkle of chives and a drizzle of maple sour cream.
