Potatoes! (And caramelized onions)

My neighbor Kristen is full of dynamite ideas. She's introduced me to the discount paradise BiMart, to Chelsea Coffee, to discount Tuesdays at the Valley Cinema Pub, and to Sunday dinner swaps. What a fantastic neighbor!

It works like this: on Sunday nights, instead of making enough dinner for two, Kristen and I make dinner for four. Then, we each wrap up the leftovers and exchange them. Voila! Monday night's dinner is finished, and each of us get to eat a completely new meal that we don't have to cook. Maybe your home is different, but I know that on Monday nights, at the start of another work week, I'm more likely to hop down the street to Humdinger than I am to cook a full dinner for...Raymond and myself.

Mostly we've stuck to casserole-style dishes. Once I made beans and rice with sautéed mushrooms and onions; another time Kristen made a cheesy vegetable strata. We both try to incorporate vegetables from our gardens--Fluffington Farms and Atticus Acres, respectively--into the dinners.

This week, since the clouds and fall temperatures are rolling back into Portland, Kristen and I simultaneously made each other soup! I can't wait to try Kristen's soup tonight (and perhaps coax her to share the recipe for the blog...)

It's almost soup season, and I couldn't be happier. I can smell it on the air. There's nothing more cheery on a rainy day than a warm soup like this one, with potatoes and baby shallots from the garden, and just enough chili pepper to keep your stomach warm. Take that, Campbell's! Mmmm good.

Potato and caramelized onion soup
serves 10-12

• 10 small or 7 medium Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
• 1 giant sweet yellow onion (like a Walla Walla) diced finely
• 1 large shallot (or many baby shallots) diced finely
• 1 slosh of olive oil
• 8 cups water
• 2 vegetable bullion cubes*
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1-2 tsp. sea salt
• 1-2 tsp. chili powder
• 6 sliced cooked bacon, crumbled (optional garnish)

Heat a slosh of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the diced onion and shallot. Coat the veggies completely with olive oil, then cook them slowly until caramelized, stirring occasionally, for about 30 or 40 minutes. (You'll cook the potatoes while the onions are browning.) Don't rush the onions and shallots; let them heat slowly and evenly until they turn a deep amber.


While the onions caramelize, clean and quarter the potatoes. Bring the 8 cups of water to a boil in a pot and cook the potatoes for 15 - 30 minutes, until they're soft in the center. Drain the potatoes and reserve the water. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl and pour the water back into the pot. Bring to a simmer a dissolve the bullion cubes. Cover the pot and set aside.

In a blender, puree two cups of broth, two cups of potato, and one cup of onion/shallot mixture until smooth. Repeat with the remaining broth, onion/shallot mix, and potatoes. Transfer the soup back into the pan and stir in the milk and cream. Heat the soup back to a simmer and season with sea salt and chili pepper to taste. Add more water or milk to thin the soup, if you like. If you'd like to garnish the soup with bacon, cook a few slices in the skillet you just used to brown onions.

*You'll need more sea salt--closer to two generous teaspoons--if you used a low-sodium or salt-free bullion, like I did.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

John McCutcheon butternut squash soup
Pan-fried chickpeas and cabbage with potatoes
Kate's Red Chili