Parsnip and potato soup with parsnip crisps

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 400 g parsnip (unpeeled) plus two parsnips for the crisps
• 500 g potatoes (unpeeled)
• 100 ml single cream
• 600 ml boiled water
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Olive oil
• 1 tsp thyme (dried)
• 1 tsp Himalayan / sea salt
• Nutmeg and pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley or basil to serve (opt.)

Cooking instructions:

For the soup:

1. Get a large saucepan ready.
2. Chop and peel the parsnips and potatoes to small chunks. If you are using fresh produce, you can skip this step. It will help increase your fiber intake and make this soup even more filling.
3. Onions and garlic next – finely chop these.
4. Heat up the saucepan and once fairly hot, add the olive oil, approximately a tbsp worth. Add the onion, fry for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and fry for another minute. (Don’t add the garlic at the same time as the onions as it can burn and ruin the onion giving it a bitter taste.)
5. Add the chopped parsnip and potatoes and give it all a good stir to coat the vegetables with the olive oil.
6. Sprinkle with the thyme, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Nutmeg is a bit like Marmite for many, so add as much as you like or none at all. I used around half a teaspoon for this recipe. It can also be added at the end if you prefer.
7. Pour the boiled water on the vegetables and cover the saucepan with a lid. Turn the heat up and once boiling point is reached, turn it down and let the soup simmer for 15-20 minutes. Check to see if the vegetables are softened.
8. To make it creamier, add single cream (or crème fraiche/ sour cream if prefer) to finish off. I tend to turn up the heat again to get the cream to the same temperature. This should be done just before serving.
9. Serve with parsnip crisps, fresh herbs and sourdough.
10. The soup will last up to 2-3 days in your fridge and can be frozen. If freezing, do this before adding the cream.

Parsnip crisps:

1. Use a vegetable peeler and peel the whole parsnip (or as much as you are able to).
2. Heat up 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil – but don’t boil this, just get it to a nice and hot temperature (for my induction hob it is around settings 11 or 12 out of 14 which is the max heat).
3. Add the parsnip peels and fry for a few minutes. Make sure you are watching the saucepan as the peels will crisp up very quickly.
4. Place on paper towel and sprinkle with salt.
5. Crush and sprinkle as a soup topper or pop these in a small bowl and use as a snack for later.

Enjoy!