Spicy Potato Soup

When you have a CSA share, your week's menu is inspired dictated by what's in season. From late May right into October, you know you'll need to finish up most of last week's farm produce before you pick up another load. Most of the time that challenge is a pleasure; after months of cold weather, bags full of greens and summer squashes and mountains of cucumbers and carrots are welcome. As the summer winds down, though, I find myself losing steam.

I'm pretty sure that feeling is what inspired this easy soup last fall. Some of the last weeks of our CSA share include pounds of potatoes—red, blue, and white along with the sweet potatoes. After baking, boiling, and roasting them, the soup seemed logical. The spices add the perfect warmth for these cooler autumn nights. Here's what you'll need:

2 sweet potatoes
4 medium white (red, blue, etc.) potatoes (approximate...you'll want about twice as many standard potatoes as sweet)
1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ginger
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1 vegetable bouillon cube (of course you can also use chicken, beef, etc., or simply season to taste)

Peel all of your potatoes, cut into large chunks, and add to a soup pot. Add enough water to cover and boil until tender. While potatoes are cooking, add vegetable oil to a small pan and sauté the onion, garlic, and spices. Heat gently, stirring constantly until the onions are soft and the mixture starts to resemble a paste.

Once potatoes are soft, use an immersion blender and process potatoes in their cooking water until the mixture is smooth. Add onion garlic mixture and blend, then add the bouillon cube or other seasonings. (If you don't have an immersion blender, use a standard blender to puree the mixture in batches, adding the onion mixture until it's smooth, then return the blended potatoes to the soup pot.)

Simmer on low heat for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, then serve with bread (naan or parathas are my favorites). The creaminess of this soup reminds me of a cheesy potato soup I used to enjoy, but this one is friendly to vegans and the lactose-intolerant (plus it contains sweet potatoes, which are high in Vitamins C and A as well as potassium)!

What's your favorite kind of soup to eat in the autumn?