Name: Roast garlic and potato soup with caviar and herb toast
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 100 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 heads of garlic; 2 tbsp olive oil; 20 gm butter, coarsely chopped; 1 leek, thinly sliced; 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock (4 cups); 750 gm floury potatoes, such as King Edward, peeled and cut into rough 2.5cm dice; 3 thyme sprigs; 100 gm crème fraîche, plus extra to serve; Caviar and finely grated lemon rind, to serve; Herb toast; 2 tsp each very finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, dill and chives; Finely grated rind of ½ lemon; 8 thick slices soft white bread; 50 gm butter, melted

Potato soup can be the humblest of dishes, but the addition of caviar elevates it to an elegant dinner dish. Salmon roe would also work well; for a more everyday touch of luxury, add a poached egg instead.

Ingredients

4 heads of garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

20 gm butter, coarsely chopped

1 leek, thinly sliced

1 litre chicken or vegetable stock (4 cups)

750 gm floury potatoes, such as King Edward, peeled and cut into rough 2.5cm dice

3 thyme sprigs

100 gm crème fraîche, plus extra to serve

Caviar and finely grated lemon rind, to serve

Herb toast

2 tsp each very finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, dill and chives

Finely grated rind of ½ lemon

8 thick slices soft white bread

50 gm butter, melted

Method

1.Preheat oven to 180C. Reserve 2 garlic cloves from a head of garlic, then wrap each garlic head individually in foil and roast until very tender (30-40 minutes). Cool, then squeeze cloves from skins and reserve.

2.Heat oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add leek and sauté until tender and translucent (4-5 minutes). Meanwhile, finely chop reserved raw garlic, add to pan and sauté until fragrant (1 minute). Add stock, potato and thyme, season to taste, then bring to a simmer. Half-cover saucepan with a lid and simmer until potato is tender (20-25 minutes). Add roast garlic and continue to simmer to combine flavours (8-10 minutes), then discard thyme. Add crème fraîche and blend with a hand-held blender (or in batches in a food processor) until very smooth, then check seasoning.

3.For herb toast, preheat grill to high. Combine herbs and lemon rind in a bowl and season to taste. Cut a 7cm round from the centre of each bread slice (reserve offcuts for breadcrumbs or another use), then place rounds on a baking tray and grill, turning once, until toasted (1-2 minutes). Brush half of each round with butter on both sides and press into the herb mixture to coat, shaking off excess.

4.Ladle the soup into warm bowls and top with a little extra crème fraîche and a spoonful of caviar. Scatter with extra lemon rind, season to taste and serve hot with warm herb toast.

Drink Suggestion: Bone-dry fino sherry Drink suggestion by Max Allen
Notes

Styling by Emma Knowles

Ingredients

Method

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