SUNCHOKE BISQUE WITH HAZELNUT OIL

Sunchoke Bisque With Hazelnut Oil image

Provided by Amanda Hesser

Time 45m

Yield Serves 6

Number Of Ingredients 13

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1 small onion
3 small red potatoes
1 pound Jerusalem artichokes, unpeeled
1 celery rib
2 tablespoons sunflower-seed oil or olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups vegetable stock
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
Milk or cream, for thinning
1/2 cup croutons, crisped in the oven
Roasted hazelnut or pumpkin-seed oil

Steps:

Chop the vegetables into 1/2-inch chunks. Heat the sunflower-seed oil in a soup pot, add the vegetables and sauté over high heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes, adding the garlic during the last few minutes. Pour in the stock. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.
Cool briefly, fish out the bay leaves, then purée the soup until perfectly smooth. Return the soup to the stove and add enough milk or cream to thin it to the desired consistency. Taste for salt and season with pepper. Serve with a few croutons in each bowl and the hazelnut oil drizzled over the top.