Chestnut, Thyme And Potato Soup Recipe

Date Published:: 16/10/2007

These chestnuts are a real forager's find, packed with carbohydrates and natural sugars, and incredibly versatile as an ingredient.

They are not only good in soup, as here, in purée, and in puddings but also delicious in salads – toss thin shavings of chestnuts with some wild leaves – and you can even make bread with them.

Feeds 4-6

Ingredients

250g chestnuts
50ml olive oil, plus extra for the fried sage leaves
1 large onion, finely chopped
450g potatoes, peeled and sliced
Thyme leaves, stripped from 2–3 sprigs
1.5 litres games stock (or stock made from bouillon cubes) or water
Salt and pepper
Fried sage leaves, to serve

Method: How to make chestnut, thyme and potato soup

1. Put the chestnuts in a dry frying pan over a high heat and toast them for about 10–15 minutes, until they are browned on all sides and the skin has started to crack. Take them off the heat and when they have cooled down a little, roll them between your palms to get rid of the skin. Roughly chop them.

2. Heat the oil in a casserole and add the onion. Sweat for 5 minutes before adding the potatoes and thyme leaves. Sweat for a further 10 minutes, stirring to prevent the potato from catching on the bottom of the pan.

3. Add the chestnuts and cook for 5 minutes before adding the stock or water. Simmer, covered, for at least 20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Next make the crispy sage leaves: heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small pan until hot and add a handful of sage leaves. Fry for about a minute, removing them before they burn. They should turn a lovely golden colour.

5. You can serve the soup chunky as it is with a few crispy fried sage leaves on top, or pass it through a sieve to get a smoother, more silky soup.