Roasted Sweet Potato Soup

Oh, I feel so entrenched in this lovely season of fall.  Complete autumn weather, football weather, sweater weather.  Bright skies, cool breeze, temps in the 60s!  Doesn't that just scream college football?!!!

And soup.  And roasted root vegetables.  I found this recipe last month and have been sitting on hot coals just waiting for the right day to make it.  I've made several carrot soups before, which are the best, but had never made one with roasted sweet potatoes.  Jim's not a fan of this particular root, so I made this just for myself.  And what a lovely introduction of the true essence of autumn.

A note:  This recipe doesn't call to peel the potatoes and since I have a Vitamix (or if you have a Blendtec), I wouldn't bother as these puree the mix the the max.  However, if you have a traditional blender, you might think about peeling the potatoes, even though the recipe doesn't call for it.  You may or may not end of with bits of peel in the soup.  Also, the original recipe calls to garnish with sour cream and homemade croutons, although I did also try it with pepitas (pumpkin seeds) which was a nice variation.

ROASTED SWEET POTATO SOUP (6 main servings)

3-4 sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds) scrubbed and sliced
2-3 carrots, scrubbed and cut into chunks
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2-3 Tbsp EVOO
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp paprika
1 cup half-and-half
hot sauce
sour cream, for garnish
homemade croutons, for garnish
pepitas, for garnish

Place sweet potatoes, carrots, and garlic on a sheet try.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with S&P, toss to coat.

Roast vegetables in oven approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown and fork-tender.

Place roasted vegetables in a blender along with chicken stock, paprika, adding a dash or two of hot sauce (depending on the capacity of your blender, you may need to do this in several batches).

Blend unti very smooth.  You can also use an immersion blender or food processor, whatever you have.

Pour into a medium stock pot and place on medium-low heat setting.

Add half-and-half as soup warms.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve with addition of hot sauce, sour cream, and croutons or pepitas.

Recipe Source: www.asouthern-soul.blogspot.com