Potato, Leek and Fennel Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 medium (14 oz) fennel bulbs, trimmed and sliced, fonds reserved
  • 1 medium (9 oz) leek, trimmed and sliced
  • 1 medium (8 oz) white onion, sliced
  • 1 thyme sprigs
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 4-6 c vegetable stock
  • 1 (9 oz) russet potato, peeled and chopped
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • Toasted walnuts for serving

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400. Place fennel, leek and onion slices on a large rimmed baking sheet. Remove thyme leaves from sprigs; add leaves to vegetables. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and black pepper; toss to coat.
  2. Roast in preheated over until vegetables are soft and beginning to caramelize, about 25 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, bring 4 cups of the stock to a boil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Add potato; reduce heat to medium low, and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes.
  4. Remove vegetables from oven, and transfer to Dutch oven with potato. Remove Dutch oven from heat. Stir in parsley. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Process, adding stock as needed, 1/2 cup at a time, until desired consistency.
  5. Serve topped with toasted walnuts, fennel fronds and a few grinds of black pepper.

Toasting the walnuts: Heat a large, dry skillet over med high. Spread the nuts in a single layer, and cook, stirring often, until they start to brown and smell fragrant, about 5 minutes.