French Onion Potato Soup #SoupSaturdaySwappers

Welcome to Soup Saturday Swappers - our event is led by Wendy of A Day in the Life on Farm! Are you interested in joining this great group of Soup Swappers? Request to join our Facebook group here. 

Today, Wendy invited us to: "Share your favorite first course soup for an elegant holiday dinner gathering."

To be honest we don't have soup as a separate course really ever in my house - when I make soups they're generally meant to be the star of the show and main event! So it was fun to think about a good first course soup. I tried to think of something without a protein in it that I've had and enjoyed, and that made me think of potato soups, and then I stumbled across this French onion soup hybrid and knew I needed to make and share this one. 

This recipe begins like a more traditional French onion soup, with caramelized onions, thyme, garlic, and white wine - and then you add in chicken broth and simmer potatoes in that mixture, and then puree the whole thing! You end up with a wonderfully creamy, lightly flavored potato soup which then gets topped like French onion soup with baguette slices, a generous pile of gruyere cheese and broiled until melted and lightly browned! It's such a pretty dish, served up in individual ramekins. 

See all of our lovely first course soups for today!

Sneha’s Recipe: Cheeseburger Soup for One 

A Day in the Life on the Farm: Creamy Leek Soup with Shoestring Potatoes 

Making Miracles: French Onion Potato Soup 

Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Leek and Celery Root Soup 

Pandemonium Noshery: Pear and Blue Cheese Soup 

Palatable Pastime: Shrimp in Tomato Saffron Broth

French Onion Potato Soup

Ingredients

1 stick butter

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp salt, more / less to taste

1/2 tsp black pepper, more / less to taste

1 bay leaf

2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 lbs russet potatoes (about 3 large), peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

12 slices baguette

3 cups (about 9 ounces) grated gruyère cheese

Directions

1. In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 4 TBS of the butter and add the onion; sauté until golden and tender (about 15 minutes), stirring occasionally. Season onion lightly with salt and pepper while cooking. Add the garlic and sauté another minute.
2. Add in the white wine and bay leaf; simmer until wine has mostly reduced.
3. Add in the broth, salt, pepper, and diced potatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are very tender. 
4. Turn off the heat. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Use an immersion blender and carefully puree the soup.
5. Stir in the remaining butter and the heavy whipping cream until blended in. Taste, and adjust seasonings if desired.
6. Divide soup amongst 6 10-oz ramekins, top each with 2 slices of baguette and about 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. 
7. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and place under broil in the oven for about 3-4 minutes, until cheese is melted and lightly golden brown.

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman