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

Roast garlic and potato soup with caviar and herb toast

Potato soup can be the humblest of dishes, but the addition of caviar elevates it to an elegant dinner dish.

Serves 4

Prep

20M

Cook

1H 20M

Total

1H 40M

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.