Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon

Last week was intense!

First, we had an amazing snowstorm dropping 30 inches followed by intense winds that shut down almost every chair lift in site.  For a while it felt like our little house might blow away and poor Ollie has never gone to the bathroom faster.

Exhausted after romping around in 3 ft of snow!

Second, we got to meet the Jackson Hole ski patrol (and medical clinic) after one of our visiting friends tore her ACL while enjoying the previously mentioned snow.

Third, a snowplow truck reversed up the middle of our street and directly into our car. I’m off getting repair estimates today.

When all was said and we were tired and craving a cozy night in protected from the winter storm.  And all I could think of was curling up in a thick blanket with a bowl of steaming soup!

Sweet potatoes make an all too frequent appearance on our dinner plate.  They are healthy, easy, and the best part is you don’t have to smoother them in cheese or other unhealthy fattening foods to make every bite delicious!  All you need is a little cayenne pepper or salt.  We probably have sweet potato mash, fries, or hash 3 times a week!

Trying to shake things up, I decided to try a sweet potato soup.   Using the Flavor Bible, I picked two accent ingredients: bacon and rosemary.  From there, I added leeks and onions. For the base, a homemade vegetable stock that was so flavorful that there was no need for additional spices.

Every bite was sweet from the rosemary and sweet potatoes, but hearty at the same time from the garlic and bacon.  I think I could eat this soup every day of the week. The only thing throwing me off was that it tasted just like butternut squash!

Next time I think I’m going to try it with roasted garlic to see how it changes the flavor.

Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon & Rosemary
Serves 6

You will need:
~ 3 leeks
~ 1 onion
~ 3 tbsp butter
~ 4 garlic cloves
~ 2 tbsp rosemary, some for garnish
~ 3 sweet potatoes
~ 3 cups vegetable broth
~ 1 cup water
~ 8 oz heavy cream
~ 8 oz bacon

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat.  Clean leeks cutting into 1 inch slices and dice onion.  Add onion and leeks to the pot and cook stirring frequently for 10 minutes (until onion is translucent).  Mince garlic and add it to the pot, cooking for another few minutes.

Peel and dice sweet potatoes into ½ inch cubes.  Add sweet potatoes, 2 tbsp rosemary, broth and water to pot and bring mixture to a simmer.  Simmer (half covered) for about 45 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender.

Blend in a blender or immersion blender in batches until smooth.  Pour in heavy cream.  Season with salt and pepper. Serve with bacon and rosemary sprinkled on top!