Potato, spinach and dill soup with lemony mushrooms
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This week’s recipe is a continuation of my winter of potato and greens.
I was reading an article the other day by a big-name food writer, writing for a big-name online food publication, who bemoaned the ‘pastiness’ of potato and leek soup; they recommended removing the potatoes from the broth and mashing them separately to ensure a nicer texture. There was also the suggestion to pass the potatoes through a ricer.
Perhaps I am the laziest home cook in the world, but that is not happening in my kitchen.
It is true, potato soup can be ‘gluey’. This is due to the starch in the potatoes – the more you agitate them in, the stickier it becomes. To avoid this texture, I use a ‘stick’ blender, also known as an immersion blender in the US, and I puree only about half of the soup. I do this swiftly and confidently, pureeing just enough to thicken the soup, but not too much that it become gelatinous. Keeping your potatoes on the larger side will also help - the smaller you cut your potato, the more starch will leach out into the broth.
For this recipe, the ‘half puree’ is perfect because it leaves the soup textural, with lots of depth. I like being able to see a chunk of potato, a sliver of sweet leeks, and shards of wilted spinach. It makes the soup feel heartier, more satisfying.
Keep the ‘half puree’ technique up your sleeve for all soups made of veggies or beans, to instantly thicken the soup, adding creaminess and viscosity.
This soup comes with the option of a mushroom topping. For soup, a topping is always optional, not mandatory, but I like it because it adds makes it feel more like a meal. It’s like eating soup and salad in one bowl. Here, the savory lemon-kissed mushrooms, introduce woody, earthy notes that pair well with the grassiness of the dill.
Let’s broach the dill issue. Dill is an important component of this dish. It brings swagger, confidence. Without it, this potato soup loses its vigor. During my Arthur Street Kitchen days, I learnt that dill was a divisive herb; once, a customer asked whether I could leave the dill out of salad that was on my menu, and my answer was no. For that salad, zucchini with pearl barley and whipped feta, herbaceous dill is essential to balance the heaviness of the barley and the salty tang of the feta. In this soup, if dill is not your thing, substitute with another assertive herb – parsley, coriander/cilantro or tarragon would work.
If you don’t have spinach, substitute with rocket (arugula) which will give a nice peppery edge, or other greens like kale, chard or Asian greens like tatsoi.
This week
Cook from Tenderheart. I have been at a loss as to what to cook this week (some weeks, I too lack inspiration) so, naturally, I turned to Tenderheart! So far this week, I have made the broccoli forest loaf, the smoky eggplant and lentil stew with baked feta, crispy potato tacos and the sesame broccoli with crumbled tofu. And my husband, who I normally do not allow into the kitchen, made my ginger and coconut mochi cake for my birthday. Outside of Tenderheart, try this mushroom scampi, which is lovely served with rice, pasta or mashed potato. This one pot tomato pasta uses tomato paste to create a rich base - it’s the perfect bridge between summer and winter. If you have a half used jar of curry paste left in your fridge, try this rice cake stir-fry which comes with lots of useful sub suggestions - Can’t find rice sticks or cakes? Try rice noodles, rice noodle rolls or gnocchi. In place of baby bok choy, use broccoli, kale or Swiss chard. Some Thai curry brands contain shrimp paste, so check the ingredients if you are vegan or vegetarian.
Buy a 2024 calendar. This is not just any calendar. It was created by the
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Potato, spinach and dill soup with lemony mushrooms
© by Hetty Lui McKinnon for To Vegetables, With Love