Caramelized Onion, Potato & Gruyère Soup
Senior food editor Amy Traverso calls this one of her all-time-favorite soups.
Caramelized Onion, Potato & Gruyère Soup
Photo Credit : Styled and photographed by Liz NeilySenior food editor Amy Traverso names this as one of her all-time-favorite soups, calling it “cheesy, creamy, nutty, a bit sweet, and extremely cozy.” If you want to make it vegetarian, just replace the beef stock with vegetable stock.
Yield:
6 to 8 servingsIngredients
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for garnish
2 pounds sweet onions, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, peeled and thinly sliced
6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ cup dry sherry
1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
3–4 cups beef stock
1 cup heavy cream
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (can substitute cheddar)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, then add onions, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir, cover, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions turn a deep golden brown, 30 to 35 more minutes. Add sherry, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Add potato and thyme, stir, then add 3 cups beef stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until potato is very tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add cream and stir.
Puree the soup in batches in a blender (or process with an immersion blender), then return to a simmer. If it seems too thick, add a bit more stock.
In a medium bowl, toss the Gruyère with the cornstarch, then whisk it into the soup with the Parmesan or Romano. Taste and add pepper and more salt if needed. Garnish with thyme and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve hot.
Amy Traverso
Amy Traverso is the senior food editor at Yankee magazine and co-host of the public television series Weekends with Yankee, a coproduction with WGBH. Previously, she was food editor at Boston magazine and an associate food editor at Sunset magazine. Her work has also been published in The Boston Globe, Saveur, and Travel & Leisure, and she has appeared on Hallmark Home & Family, The Martha Stewart Show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Amy is the author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, which was a finalist for the Julia Child Award for best first-time author and won an IACP Cookbook Award in the “American” category.
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