As a food blogger/recipe developer, I often come up with an idea for (what I assume to be) a creative & clever recipe, only to find out that the “unique” idea has been done. Many times over.
Case in point: sweet potato vichyssoise.
Google this term, and the Internet will yield pages of results. And here I thought I had created something new!
I was inspired to make a sweet potato version of the classic potato leek soup after tasting a delicious batch of Ina Garten’s Zucchini Vichyssoise made by my mother-in-law. I’ve always loved my mom’s vichyssoise, and was excited about Ina’s addition of zucchini. You can eat vichyssoise hot or cold, and seeing as though Spring weather is unpredictable, I thought this would be the perfect between-seasons soup.
Although I love the traditional white potato vichyssoise, the idea of subbing in sweet potatoes occurred to me; this should come as no surprise given my complete adoration of the orange spud.
This sweet potato version turned out to be a delicious departure from the traditional soup.
Plus, you just can’t beat that gorgeous color ;).
If you’ve never worked with leeks before, here’s a quick note: Be sure to wash them well, as they tend to harbor grit and dirt between their layers.
I think the easiest way to do this is to place the chopped leeks into a big bowl of cold water. The sediment will sink to the bottom, leaving you with perfectly cleaned pieces of leek.
I felt compelled to snap a few shots of the fresh veggies, as well as a handful of progress pics.
I’ll let the photos do the talking!
Have I mentioned on the blog how much I love my immersion blender? One my favorite wedding registry presents.
I also adore my Le Creuset dutch oven. Perfect for making soup.
I served the vichyssoise hot, with a side of Sweet Potato Cornbread. It was a delightful dinner for a cold Spring evening!
Sweet Potato Zucchini Vichyssoise
Printer-Friendly Recipe
inspired by Ina Garten’s Zucchini Vicchyssoise
yield: a LOT of soup! Serves 6-8 as a side; 4-6 as an entree
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp butter (or an additional Tbsp olive oil for a vegan version)
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (I used 3 large leeks)
- 4 cups chopped peeled sweet potatoes (about 2 large potatoes)
- 2 cups chopped zucchini (1 large zucchini)
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Optional Accoutrements:
- plain 2% Greek yogurt
- chipotle pepper hot sauce
- sliced green onions
- Sweet Potato Cornbread
Directions:
- Place chopped leeks into a large bowl filled with water. Agitate the water to clean and break apart the leeks; drain.
- Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot (such as a dutch oven) over medium heat.
- Add in the chopped leeks and cook, stirring, until leeks begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add in the chopped potatoes, zucchini, and broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender. Puree either with an immersion blender or in a regular blender until smooth (if using a regular blender, you will have to do this in separate batches).
- Season again with salt and pepper to your taste preference. Serve hot, warm, or cold.
