La Casa Sena's Potato Green Chile Soup
Recently a reader was looking for the recipe for a creamy potato and chile soup she enjoyed during a trip to Santa Fe, N.M.
La Casa Sena in Santa Fe was happy to share its recipe for potato green chile soup with us.
Preparation: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Serves 10 to 12
3 pounds baking potatoes
1 dozen fresh green chiles, preferably New Mexico, Anaheim or poblano
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced white onion
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 cup white wine
4 cups water, plus extra for cooking the potatoes, divided
Salt and pepper
1 cup each julienned fresh leek, red bell pepper and poblano chile, for garnish
Oil, for frying
Peel and halve the potatoes and place them in a pot filled with water. Simmer the potatoes until fork tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and set them aside.
While the potatoes are cooking, roast the chiles: Place the chiles over high heat on a rack over a stove-top burner. When the skin is charred all over, place the peppers in a paper bag. Set the peppers aside for about 10 minutes to cool, then remove and peel the skin — do not rinse them. Discard the stems and seeds and dice the peppers into one-eighth-inch squares; you should have about 2 cups. Set the peppers aside.
In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook until it is aromatic, about 1 minute. Stir in the white wine, scraping any flavoring from the bottom of the pan.
Stir in the cream, water and potatoes, and bring the mixture to a low simmer, then remove it from the heat.
Purée the soup using an immersion blender or in batches using a stand blender.
Stir in the diced chiles, then season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, or to taste. Thin the soup, if desired, with cream or water. Hold the soup in a warm place.
To prepare the garnish, heat a small pot of oil to 350 degrees. Deep-fry the leek, bell pepper and chile until they are brightly colored and lightly crisp, about 30 seconds. Drain.
Plate the soup, topping each serving with the fried garnish.