Roasted Carrot & Potato Soup

My husband and I hosted my family at our house for Christmas day. I wanted the food to be delicious, elegant and hands off. So, I decided on roast beef, roasted potatoes and carrots, green beans, seasonal fruit salad and dinner rolls. My family was very impressed! The dinner went off without a hitch. Near the end, however, I realized we had lots of leftovers. No problem for the beef--we could just have French dips. But what was I to do with a bunch of roasted potatoes and carrots? The worst part was those potatoes and carrots didn't come out crispy--they were more steamed than roasted and they weren't very flavorful alone.

I mentioned to my sister in law how I had an overflow of leftover roasted vegetables and she suggested, quite simply, make a soup. A soup, I thought? I don't really make soup. But hey, what did I have to lose? We wouldn't be eating those potatoes or carrots anyway. So today I whipped up a roasted carrot & potato soup--it is fantastic! I used the immersion blender and it turned a beautiful yellow color--the sunshine that has recently disappeared from the Los Angeles skyline. I didn't measure for this soup--I just threw some things together. The only negative effect of not measuring was a heavy hand with the pepper. This soup is a tad on the spicy side. I was able to cut it a little with some milk which was a nice addition to the soup regardless, but next time I'll be careful with the pepper.

Ingredients

1 brown onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

roasted potatoes & carrots *I can't be sure how much I used but I know I originally roasted a bag & a half of carrots and about 4 pounds of new red potatoes. This filled a rimmed baking tray to the brim--which is why they steamed instead of roasting in one even layer...)

herbs de Provence

dried thyme

salt & pepper

2 Cups vegetable broth (1 can)

2 Cups water

2 T olive oil

1 C (or less) whole milk or cream (optional, I needed it due to the pepper)

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add onion and saute until translucent and fragrant, about 10 minutes.

2. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds

3. Add potatoes and carrots, vegetable broth, water and all the spices to taste (watch out for the pepper!).

4. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for at least an hour or until potatoes and carrots are very soft and can be smooshed with a spoon.

5. After simmering, puree soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Add milk or cream if desired and serve warm.