Sweet Potato Soup

Published 25 October 04 by Justin French

The Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes (about 750 grams of those ugly things that are somewhere in-between a regular potato and a pumpkin)
• 2 brown onions
• 8 Rashers of Bacon
• 1 Litre of Chicken Stock
• Half teaspoon of Nutmeg
• Some Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper
• 3 Bay Leaves

The Process

1. Preheat oven to 180° C (about 350° F)
2. Peel Sweet Potatoes, cut each one into about six even chunks
3. Place chunks on oven tray with a little olive oil, whack in the oven until really soft (40–60 mins, can’t remember)
4. Roughly cut-up the Bacon into small bits, cook it in batches until really crispy, drain well on some paper towel
5. Dice the onions, and sauté them in a large pot with a table-spoon of Olive Oil (or some of the fat from the Bacon!) until soft and a little coloured
6. Pour stock over onions, throw in the Bay Leaves and Nutmeg, simmer on a low low heat until the potatoes are done
7. Pull the potatoes out of the oven, mash them up in a bowl, then add to the stock, crank up the heat a little and simmer for 15 minutes
8. Remove the Bay Leaves – this is really important people!
9. Throw some crunchy bread in the oven
10. Transfer the soup to a blender (I find I need to do it in two batches), blend into a smooth creamy soup
11. Add Salt & Pepper to taste (it doesn’t need much of either actually)
12. Re-heat the bacon if you feel the need
13. Pour into soup bowls (serves 4–5 people), and dump a heap of the crunchy Bacon on the top of each bowl
14. Remember you have bread in the oven
15. Sit down with friends or family at the table, and watch the expressions on their faces as they take that first mouthful

The Disclaimer

I did not invent this recipe. It was given to me by my Mum (good on ya Mum!), who probably got it off a friend, who got it off a friend, who probably stole it from a cookbook. So, I’m not intending to breach copyright, but I have no idea of knowing where it originated.