Roasted beet and potato soup

It’s been a surprisingly warm January on the West Coast this year. I’m not used to being able to go out for my run in tights and a T-shirt at the end of January. That being said, I prefer it to the blizzards that have been happening back east. Apparently the west has given into global warming while the east is trying desperately to hold on to winter.
In true winter form, soups have been a predominant dish on my menu. The ease of blending a bunch of ingredients together into a piping hot dish is something I can’t deny myself of. Pair it with a good sandwich or biscuit and I’m happy as a clam. Soups can be an easy way to get plenty of essential vitamins and minerals from vegetables and meats in a meal without too much effort. Plus, the extra fluids and warmth that come in each bowl help to stave off sickness, which is necessary during flu season.

The soup of the week is from Deliciously Ella, another blog favourite of mine. Her roasted beet and potato soup is a thick and hearty soup. It’s a beautiful colour to boot! The coconut milk and beetroot combination makes for a sweeter soup, but is paired nicely with the zip of lemon juice and chili flakes. The recipe says it will serve three, but I definitely had more than enough for four or five generous servings. As I had lots of leftovers, I tried different additions such as shredded rotisserie chicken, goat cheese and the potato croutons shown in the original recipe. All were great add-ins and provided different dimensions.

Roasted beet and potato soup

Recipe courtesy of Deliciously Ella

Ingredients:

Soup

• 6 potatoes (600g)
• 2 beetroots (400g)
• 400 ml of coconut milk
• 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• 2 teaspoons chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 2 cloves of garlic
• salt and pepper

Croutons

• 4 potatoes (400g)
• 1 tablespoon of chilli flakes
• salt, pepper and olive oil

Directions:

• Start by turning the oven to 200 C. Place the beets, skin on, into a baking tray to roast for about one hour.
• While these roast, peel the potatoes for the soup and place them in a sauce pan with cold water. Bring the pan to the boil and then let them simmer for about 45 minutes until really soft.
• To make the potato croutons, chop the remaining potatoes, skin on, into small pieces and place them in a tray with lots of olive oil plus the chilli flakes, salt and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the outsides are crispy.
• Once the beetroots have cooked, set them aside to cool. Once cool, peel the skin off, it should just peel off in your hand. Chop the beets into pieces and place them in a blender. Drain the boiling (soup) potatoes and add them to the blender along with the lemon juice, cumin, garlic, coriander powder and coconut cream, plus some salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. If you find it’s too thick at this point then add water until you reached your desired consistency.
• Place the soup into a saucepan and let it heat up to the perfect eating temperature.