A Rick Stein favourite, this rich hearty Potato Soup with Deep-Fried Chorizo and Parsley is full of the flavours making it ideal for a cold evening. Make your own chicken stock for the base of the Potato Soup. Serve in warmed bowls, sprinkled with deep-fried chorizo and parsley.
Serves 4–6
Ingredients:
100g butter
2 large onions (extra), thickly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1kg sebago potatoes
bouquet garni of 2 bay leaves, 1 thyme sprig and a few parsley stalks
1 tsp salt (extra)
80ml double cream
sunflower oil, for shallow frying
50g chorizo, thinly sliced and skin removed
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
Chicken Stock
500g chicken drumsticks, skinned
2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
2 peeled carrots, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 fresh bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
Method:
To make chicken stock, put drumsticks, celery, carrot, onion and 2.5 litres water in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil, skimming off any residue. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours. Add bay leaves, thyme and 1 tsp of salt 15 minutes before using. Strain through a fine sieve.
To make soup, melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onion (extra) and garlic and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until very soft but not browned. Add potato, 1.2 litres of the chicken stock (reserve remaining stock), bouquet garni and salt (extra). Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes.
Remove and discard bouquet garni and liquidise soup in batches until smooth. Return soup to a clean saucepan, bring it almost back to the boil and stir in double cream. Stir in a little more stock if necessary to give the soup a good consistency.
To deep-fry chorizo, heat 1cm oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Separate chorizo slices, drop them in hot oil and fry for about 5 seconds until crisp and lightly golden. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Crumble chorizo into small pieces and mix with parsley.
To serve, ladle soup into warmed bowls, sprinkle chorizo mix in the centre and season with salt and pepper.
