Potato Garlic Cream Soup

Most Sundays were "soup and scones" days when our children were growing up. There was no debate over the scones. Fried and puffy homemade bread dough was always welcome as long as the butter, honey and jam were served as condiments. But the soup??? A matter for debate between distinct and differing palettes. So to make it less of a tedious task of talking one child out of her favorite soup and convincing another that mulligatawny is delicious, I gave in. Yes, I gave in and made two soups, sometimes three to keep peace in our home. Perhaps that's what it takes - soup for peace.

Case in point - as one of my husband's duties as an attache in the Middle East, we hosted various political and military leaders for dinner and social events. One of our visitors with a colorful, dubious past, (let's just say, he was once thrown out a second story window) adored one of the easiest soups I made - a simple roux based, chicken broth and cream with boursin cheese melted in. We still call this soup today by this man's name.

I'm glad he wasn't included in the weekly conference as to which soups we should have, because with his influential political clout I would definitely have to make it (forget what my children wanted.) Suffice it to say that on every visit to this man, my husband took a package of Boursin cheese for him, which wasn't available in the markets of his hazardous community.

The following soup is one I would have chosen, had I ever had the chance to suggest one. Creamy and velvety with a rich potato and garlic flavor base, the crunch of the garlic chips adds a nice contrast to the texture, and the cheese is just enough to suggest that something else is going on here, creating a simply, tummy-purring meal!

Potato Garlic Cream Soup

3 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup finely chopped carrot

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 head of garlic, papery skin removed and

top 1/3 cut off and discarded.

1 bay leaf

5 cups chicken broth (or water with rich

chicken bouillon.)

4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into

quarters (white or Yukon gold potatoes

recommended)

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup cream

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thinly, lengthwise

-Saute onion and carrot in butter until soft over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes more. Add chicken broth or water with bouillon, bay leaf, garlic head and potatoes. Cook, covered until potatoes are tender over medium heat (about 30 minutes). Remove from heat, discard bay leaf and garlic head and let rest 10 minutes.

-Take garlic head and squeeze each garlic clove into the soup mixture - discard skins. Add milk to potato and broth. Blend in food processor, with immersion blender or in blender until smooth. (Leave a few potatoes on the side and mash roughly to make the soup chunkier, if desired, then add back to soup mixture.)

-Return to heat and stir in cream at room temperature. Set grated cheese on top of hot soup for 5 minutes before stirring, to allow the cheese to temper to the heat of the soup, to prevent separating. Stir in cheese and heat until cheese is melted and soup is hot. Add parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

FOR GARLIC CHIPS:

-Heat oil and garlic in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook, turning frequently, until light golden brown, about 3 minutes (do not brown darkly).

-Using, slotted spoon, transfer garlic to plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

-Serve soup warm with garnish of chopped chives, garlic chips and a drizzle of garlic olive oil (or plain olive oil.)

Ingredients for Soup

Fried Garlic Chips

Serve soup with chives, garlic chips and sprinkle of olive oil.

PERSNICKETY NOTES:

**Garlic becomes bitter if allowed to brown. When sauting or frying garlic, remove it from heat when it just begins to color.

**As I always note for my soups, when using chicken broth or stock or bouillon, I suggest the following scale for the best flavor in your soup. And boy, can a natural chicken flavor make a huge difference!

#1 - Home made chicken stock

#2 - "Better than Bouillon" stock paste

#3 - Boxed chicken stock

#4 - Canned chicken broth

#5 - Magi Chicken bouillon cubes

#6 - Knorr's chicken bouillon cubes

#7 - Other chicken bouillon cubes