Recipe: Potato and Onion Soup (Potage Parmentier)
Summary: A perfectly simple potato soup that will have you rolling your eyes back in your head with its pure flavor. Thank you for the inspiration, Julia Child!
[1]Ingredients
- 1 pound Idaho Russet potatoes (about 3-4 cups), peeled and quartered
- 1 pound onions (about 3 cups), peeled and quartered
- 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
- 8 cups water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
- Freshly ground pepper
- Garnishes: 6 pieces cooked bacon, diced, AND 2-4 tablespoons minced chives and parsley
Instructions
- Place potatoes, onions, garlic, water and salt in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan, and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to a low simmer, and cook, uncovered, for 50 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat, and, using an immersion blender, purée the vegetables (and water) until smooth. Cut the butter into pieces and add it, stirring until it dissolves. Stir in cream.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt if needed (careful with salt if you are adding bacon as a garnish).
- Ladle into soup bowls, top with a grinding of fresh black pepper, some chopped bacon and a shower of herbs (bacon and herbs optional but advised).
- Makes about 7-8 cups. Serves 4-6.
[2]Variation
Once you make it with Idaho russet potatoes, try it sometime with sweet potatoes, for a completely different take on this soup. All other ingredients remain the same; just sub 1 pound of sweet potatoes (garnet yams) for the pound of russets.
[3]Source
Adapted from “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck (Alfred A. Knopf, 1961).
Julia says…
“Learn how to cook — try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!”
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Number of servings (yield): 4-6
Culinary tradition: French
My rating
The Sunday Supper Group has enjoyed creating Julia’s recipes in honor of her 100th birthday. Come join us live on Twitter today at 4 p.m. PST where we will chat about all things Julia (using hashtag #SundaySupper)! Also check out our #sundaysupper pinterest board [4] for more recipes.
Please enjoy our Julia Child menu, and cook something from here yourself! Bon appetit!
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