Sweet Potato Ginger Soup

I made this one up as I went along, which is the fun thing about making soup. This combination is simply delicious...it feels fresh while still tasting like Fall. The sweet potatoes are rich and comforting while the ginger adds brightness and depth. I'm giving you complete creative control over the ginger; a little bit will give a "je ne sais quoi" to the sweet potatoes while a lot will knock peoples' socks off. It's all up to you.

Sauté 2 chopped onions and 1 clove of garlic in 2 T of butter over medium heat until onions are soft (about 10 minutes). Peel and cube the sweet potatoes (I used 3 large potatoes) and pop them in the pot, sautéing for another 10-15 minutes. Add 3 cups of chicken stock plus 1 1/2 cups of water, 1 t of salt and 1/2 t of pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes. I liked using the immersion blender because it added texture to the soup (rather than it being perfectly smooth), but you could also transfer small batches to a blender. Now, for the ginger. I actually "juiced" the peeled ginger in a garlic press. I probably used about a T of the juice for my soup, but again, you could tone it down or spice it up according to your tastes.

The color is stunning. It's so ridiculously simple and it's a great seasonal meal to serve this weekend! Enjoy!