Creamy Sweet Potato Soup with Fried Sage

I seriously cannot believe that summer is over. The kids have been back in school now for 3 weeks and the weather has turned from 90’s to 50’s in the blink of an eye. How did that happen?

When the weather turns cold, the first thing I gravitate towards is soup. I love a big bowl of steamy deliciousness in the fall. I’m sure I’m not alone there. It makes the cold dark days seem manageable, in my eyes.

You know when you’re sitting out in the sun in the middle of summer and you can feel the heat permeate your insides and every inch of you feels warm and toasty? That’s how I view soup…like the sun warming me from the inside out.

This is a really easy soup to make, in fact, it’s done in less than 30 minutes and is filling and delicious. You can opt out of the fried sage if you’re making this for picky eaters, but don’t skip it for the big kids. Frying sage removes the pungent oils and it imparts a light sweetness to the leaves. Let it rest a minute on paper towels and then crumble easily over the soup.

Here’s the recipe:

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup with Fried Sage

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 6-8 Servings

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup with Fried Sage

A quick weeknight soup made with white fleshed sweet potatoes and crispy fried sage on top.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 red onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
4 large white fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cups chicken stock or water
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups fat-free milk
1 teaspoon olive oil
6-8 fresh sage leaves

Instructions

In a large stock pot, add 2 tablespoons butter and melt over medium high heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, sweet potatoes and salt & pepper, to taste. Continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender and no longer crunchy, about 8-10 minutes.
Working in batches, puree all but 2 cups of the potato mixture. Return to same pot with the reserved potatoes. Stir to combine.
Meanwhile in a medium saucepan, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking continuously, for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk while whisking and cook until the milk mixture begins to thicken, about 4-5 minutes. Add to the potato puree and stir well to combine. Bring to a semi-boil and when the soup starts to become thick, turn down the heat to simmer.
Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to a small frying pan over high heat. Add the sage leaves and fry for about 30-45 seconds per side. Remove to a paper towel and allow to cool slightly. Crumble over warm soup and serve.

https://www.farmgirlgourmet.com/2013/09/creamy-sweet-potato-soup.html

Recipe courtesy of www.farmgirlgourmet.com. Reprinting without permission is unethical.