Recipe: Roasted Sweet Potato Bisque with Kale Salsa

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1½ hours

This recipe is comfort food with a touch of polish—perfect for entertaining. There’s something about a bisque that feels a bit more luxurious than your everyday soup. While soup often has a thinner, brothy base with chunks of meat or vegetables, a bisque is all about silky texture and rich, creamy flavour. Don’t skip the kale salsa: it adds a crisp, bright contrast that cuts through the richness and makes every spoonful feel balanced and satisfying.

Ingredients

• 3 large sweet potatoes (about 2½ lb total)
• ½ medium shallot finely diced
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 small bunch kale, stems removed (about 2 packed cups total of leaves)
• 3 to 4 large radishes
• 2 medium apples, divided (Pink Lady or  Honeycrisp are both great options)
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil or coconut oil
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 3½ cups homemade or  low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup full fat coconut milk or whipping cream, plus extra for garnish
• ¼ tsp fennel seed
• 2 green bird’s eye chilies,  sliced down the middle but not fully in half
• Cilantro leaves and tender stems, for garnish

Method

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.

Scrub sweet potatoes well and poke a few times through their skin with a fork to  prevent them from exploding in the oven.  Place potatoes on prepared baking tray and transfer to oven. Roast until easily pierced to their centre with a knife (about 1 hour, give or take, depending on the size of your potatoes).

While sweet potatoes roast, make the kale salsa. In a medium bowl, stir together shallots, lemon zest and lemon juice. Finely chop kale leaves, by hand or pulsed in a food processor. Finely chop radishes and one apple. Stir kale, radish and apple into shallot mixture. Season lightly with a pinch of salt. Set salsa aside while finishing preparing soup, giving it at least 30 minutes for the flavours to mellow and mingle before serving.

When sweet potatoes are done roasting,  set aside at room temperature until cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion  and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until onion is softened and translucent (about 6  to 8 minutes).

While onion is cooking, chop remaining  apple and cut roasted sweet potatoes in half. Using a spoon, scoop roasted sweet potato flesh out of the skins and add to onions  along with apple, garlic, ginger and cumin.  Stir in apple cider vinegar and broth, then  bring mixture to a simmer, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until apples are tender (about 15 minutes).

Using an immersion blender or by transferring soup to a blender in batches, blend soup until smooth. Once blended and back in the pot, stir in the cream. Season to taste with additional salt. If desired, adjust the consistency to your liking by stirring in some additional broth or water.

When ready to serve, taste and season kale salsa with salt as desired. Divide soup among serving bowls and top with a swirl of cream, if desired. Spoon some kale salsa over soup and serve.

CHEF’S Tip

If you made this soup ahead of time and you notice that it thickened after cooling, simply stir in a little water while you’re reheating it to bring back a smooth, creamy consistency.