Roasting the vegetables before adding to the soup pot really adds to the flavor of this wonderfully tasty soup. The mild roasted garlic taste adds a new dimension of flavor as well. This soup is great for vegetarians as well, as it is made with vegetable broth instead of meat based broth.
Ingredients:
- 4 medium red potatoes
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 tsp. dried rosemary
- 1 head garlic
- 1 TBSP. olive oil
- 1 can (14 ½ oz.) vegetable broth
- 1 TBSP. flour
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 1 cup half & half cream
- Croutons
Preheat oven to 375° F. Peel and cube the potatoes. Place potatoes on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick vegetable oil. Sprinkle the onion and rosemary over the potatoes. Peel away the outer skin of the head of garlic leaving the skin on the cloves intact. Snip off the pointed top with sharp kitchen scissors, leaving the bulb intact but exposing the garlic cloves. Place the garlic, cut side up, on top of the potatoes. Drizzle the olive oil over everything. Cover with tin foil. Place the baking tray in the oven and bake, covered, for about 50 minutes or until the garlic cloves feel soft and the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
In the bowl of your food processor, squeeze the garlic bulb to remove the soft insides. Add the potatoes, onions and half of the vegetable broth, all of the flour and the pepper. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour this into a medium stockpot. Stir in the remaining broth and the ½ & ½ cream. Cook and stir over medium heat until the soup thickens and is bubbly. You can add in a little more half & half cream to get the consistency of the soup you like. Serve hot in bowls with crunchy croutons on top.
