Recipe: Creamy Potato Soup–Fusion Style

The blustery, chilly days of March have me thinking about hearty potato dishes, especially this “fusion style” potato soup. I was skeptical of it at first, since it included Indian spices (coriander and turmeric) along with western herbs (rosemary and thyme,) and then Asian-y coconut milk. Could that much fusion really work? It did for me!

The recipe may look a little complicated because of all the seasonings, but there are still only three steps: Saute the aromatics and seasonings, add and cook the potatoes, then blend it all up!

Serves 4

Step 1: Saute Aromatics and Seasonings

• 2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. butter
• 2 cups onion, diced to ½” (from about 1 small onion)
• 2-3 cups leeks, sliced about 1/8” thick (from about 2 med. leeks, both white and tender green parts)*
• 1 Tbsp. garlic, minced (from about 2-3 med. cloves)
• 1 tsp. dried leaf thyme
• ½ tsp. turmeric
• ½ tsp. ground coriander
• ¼ tsp. dried ground rosemary or 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, about 4” long

In a large soup pot, heat 2 Tbsp. butter over medium-low heat until gently sizzling. Add onions and saute about 5 minutes, then add leeks and continue sauteing another 5-8 minutes until onions start to become translucent and leeks soften, stirring occasionally so everything cooks evenly. Push to sides of pan.

Reduce heat to low. To the middle of pan, add the 2 tsp. butter. When melted, stir minced garlic and dried spices into butter. (If using fresh rosemary, it is added later.) Cook just 2-3 minutes until fragrant, stirring a little to cook evenly.

Stir aromatics and seasonings together and continue cooking and stirring about 5 more minutes.

Step 2: Cook Potatoes

• 6 cups unpeeled potatoes (any kind) cubed to ¾” (from about 1½ pounds)**
• 2-3 cups chicken or vegetable broth (more or less for a thicker or thinner soup)
• 3 bay leaves
• ½ -1 tsp. sea salt***
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Stir potatoes, broth, bay leaves and salt and pepper into sauteed aromatics. If using fresh rosemary, lay springs on top of soup. Cover, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer about 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, but not mushy.

Step 3: Blend Soup

• 6 oz. can coconut milk (regular not light)
• More sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Remove bay leaves and woody rosemary sprigs from soup, if using (it’s ok if a few of the leaves fall off into soup.) Stir in coconut milk, then use an immersion blender to quickly blend soup to make a thick creamy soup with some texture.****

Taste and add more salt and pepper or other seasonings, to taste. I like a dash of cayenne pepper.

NOTES

* Prepping Leeks Leeks can harbor a fair amount of dirt inside their concentric rings. So slice them in half where the white parts meet the green parts, then slice each section vertically and run water down through all the rings, rubbing to dislodge any dirt you see. Then slice into half-rounds, watching for any dirt you might have missed.

** Unpeeled Potatoes You can certainly peel the potatoes if you want to take the time, but there is no need to do so, especially since they get pureed at the end. Plus, a lot of the potato’s nutrients are in the skin.

***Salt Potatoes are notoriously bland, so the soup may well require more salt than you usually use to bring out the flavors.

****Immersion Blender Because of the high starch content of potatoes, they can easily become a gooey mess if bended for too long or at speeds too high. This is why I recommend using an immersion blender at lower speeds, and just long enough to blend the soup roughly rather than velvety smooth.

If you don’t have an immersion blender, try a regular blender, but work in smaller batches so each quarter or third can be blended quickly.

I have had unfortunate results with a food processor, but if that is all you have, make careful, quick work of the blending.