We’ve had a relatively nice week here in the Chicagoland area, given that it’s November and all. However, we did have one gloomy, rainy and windy day and that called for soup! Soup is the ultimate comfort food in my opinion. Given that this month’s Seasonal Potluck ingredient is sweet potatoes, I decided that this creamy sweet potato soup was perfect. My potluck partner, Betsy, is admittedly not a huge fan of sweet potatoes. She gave me the choice to choose this month though, so that’s what y’all are stuck with! I was actually not the biggest sweet potato fan growing up myself, but as we get older, our tastebuds change. So give those sweet potatoes another chance!
Creamy Sweet Potato Soup, serves 4
adapted from Sunset
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large leek (white and light green parts only), thinly sliced, rinsed, and drained
- 2 small garlic cloves, minced (or 1 tsp chopped garlic)
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 large sweet potatoes) peeled and cut into roughly 1-in. pieces
- About 1 1/2 tsp. coarse kosher salt
- About 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Chopped chives (optional)
Preheat oven to 400°. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add leek and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes longer. Put sweet potatoes in pot; add 3 cups water, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Increase heat to high, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes. Working in batches, purée soup until smooth.
Prepare the garnish: Spread prosciutto slices on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until crisp, 7 to 10 minutes (watch carefully, as they can burn quickly). Let prosciutto cool completely on baking sheet (about 1 hour), then crumble into tiny pieces and set aside.
Transfer puréed soup to a clean pot set over medium-low heat. Stir in cream and a little water if you think the soup is too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve soup hot, garnished with prosciutto or chives if you like.
Don’t forget to check out all of our Seasonal Potluck recipes here!
