Onion and Potato Soup with Gruyere Croutons [1]

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Ingredients

4 large onions

1 medium potato

50g butter

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 fat clove of garlic

1 heaped tablespoon of plain flour

500ml chicken stock

500ml semi-skimmed milk

Half a lemon

2 bay leaves

Fresh nutmeg

Salt and freshly milled black pepper

3 heaped tablespoons of low fat crème fraiche

A handful of fresh parsley

For the croutons:

A small thin slice cut from a rye or wholemeal loaf for each person

15-20g gruyere cheese per person

Servings

4

Person

Preparation

1

Peel the onions and chop finely. Peel the potato and cut it into very small dice.
2

Heat the oil and butter together in a large saucepan then cook the onions gently with the crushed garlic over a low heat, for about 10 minutes or until soft.
3

Add the diced potato and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for a further 5 minutes.
4

Sprinkle in the flour then stir and cook for a minute or two.
5

Gradually stir in the hot chicken stock and then the milk. Bring up to the boil.
6

Add three teaspoons of lemon juice and the bay leaves, grind in a little fresh nutmeg then season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Simmer gently for approximately 25 minutes, until the vegetables are completely soft. Stir from time to time to prevent the potato from sticking to the bottom.
7

Discard the bay leaves and taste, adding more lemon juice and seasoning if needed.
8

To make the croutons, toast the slices of bread under the grill on one side then break each slice into 3 pieces. Grate the gruyere cheese, sprinkle it onto each piece and toast until the cheese is bubbling.
9

Chop the parsley leaves finely. Reheat the soup, stirring in the crème fraiche and most of the parsley. To serve, place 3 croutons in the centre of each bowl of soup and garnish with the remaining parsley.

Cooks Note

Onions are one of the ingredients that I use most frequently, adding flavour to so many different dishes. A change from the usual French onion soup, this lovely creamy onion soup with crunchy croutons is truly delicious!

With the addition of potato and a topping of cheesy toast, this soup is really quite filling, ideal for a complete lunch or supper dish that uses simple ingredients and can be made well in advance.

Serves 4-5.

This recipe makes a slightly lower fat, though still really tasty, version of this soup, using semi-skimmed milk and low fat crème fraiche. For a really rich soup, use full fat milk and double cream instead.

You can omit the potato if you wish; just add a little more flour.

Try adding lime juice instead of lemon, and allspice rather than nutmeg.