"Cream" of Vegetable Soup

This is a wonderful soup for fall.  I freeze some of the summer's bounty of zucchini and yellow squash so I'll have some for this soup after the warmth of the season has fled.

1 sweet onion, or a leek, peeled or cleaned and chopped
3 large carrots, chopped
4 Tablespoons butter (or olive or coconut oil)
2 pounds of potatoes, scrubbed and chopped.  I leave about half of the skins on.  I most often use Russets, but Yukon Golds or Red Potatoes are awesome.
2 quarts chicken broth
Several sprigs of fresh thyme tied together
4 summer squash (zucchini, yellow crookneck, etc.) sliced
Sea salt
Sour Cream or creme fraiche

Saute the onions or leeks and the carrots in the butter or oil until they are very soft.

Add the sauteed veggies to a stock pot, along with the chicken broth and potatoes, and bring to a boil.
Skim the foam and then reduce the heat and add the thyme sprigs.
Cover and cook until the potatoes are soft.
Add the summer squash and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until it is tender.

Remove the thyme.

Puree the soup with a stick blender.

Add water if the soup is too thick.

Season to taste.

Serve topped with sour cream or creme fraiche.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I came across this idea a few years ago.  It is awesome in the fall when there's some crispness to the air and the smell of woodsmoke is becoming common.  Perfect for the shortening autumn days.

A note about sweet potatoes and yams......As I understand it, what we have here in the States in our grocery stores are sweet potatoes.  They come in either light skin and white flesh or copper skin and orange flesh varieties and are relatively small in size.  Yams, on the other hand, can range in size from regular potato size to 5 feet long.  They have a black bark-like skin and come in different flesh colors.  They are not common here.

That being said, I much prefer the white variety of sweet potato and use them exclusively.

Ingredients:

2 large white-flesh sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, cut in 1 inch dice, layers separated
4 cloves garlic, sliced or minced
1-2 Tablespoons fresh Rosemary, chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 T or so of Olive or Coconut Oil

I use a glass baking dish lined with parchment paper, or sometimes my clay pot, for roasting this dish.

So, prepare your vessel of choice, add the potatoes, onions and garlic.
Toss with oil, salt and pepper and rosemary.

Bake at 375* for about an hour.  Yum!!

Roasted Red Potatoes

This is about as "comfort food" as you can get!

I use good quality organic red potatoes for this dish and my clay pot.  A glass baking dish lined with parchment paper will also work.  The clay pot just gives them such a marvelous flavor and texture.

Ingredients:
Organic Red Potatoes to feed your crowd.
Olive or Coconut oil (I use 76* Aunt Patty's refined coconut oil because it hasn't the coconut flavor of virgin coconut oil but is still good quality)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 T +/- Fresh Rosemary, chopped

Soak the clay pot, if using.

Scrub the potatoes and dry them well.

Depending on the size of the potatoes, quarter or eighth them into chunks.
Put them into the clay pot or baking dish, drizzle with olive or coconut oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and rosemary.
Toss all of it well.
Bake at 400* for about an hour and 15 minutes, or until they reach the crispness you like.