BAKED SWEET POTATO SOUP

Baked Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

1kg sweet potato
1 onion (unpeeled), halved
1 garlic bulb, halved crossways
4 cups (1L) vegetable stock
1/2 cup (80g) smoked almonds, chopped
1/2 cup rmly packed mint leaves, nely chopped, plus extra leaves to serve
4 x 1.5cm-thick slices seeded sourdough
120g blue cheese, thinly sliced

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a baking tray and line with baking paper.
Prick sweet potato all over with a fork and place on prepared tray with onion, cut-side down.
Roast for 30 minutes, then add garlic, cut-side down, and roast, turning halfway, for a further 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. Remove onion skin and discard. Squeeze garlic esh from skin into a blender.
Working in batches, add onion, sweet potato and stock, and whiz until smooth.
Transfer to a saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until hot.
Combine almond and mint in a bowl and set aside.
Meanwhile, to make the blue cheese toast, preheat oven grill to high and line a baking tray with foil.
Place sliced sourdough on prepared tray and grill, checking regularly, for 2 minutes or until toasted.
Turn and grill, checking regularly, for 90 seconds or until almost toasted.
Top with blue cheese and grill, checking regularly, for 90 seconds or until cheese starts to melt.
Divide soup among serving bowls and scatter almond mixture over toast and soup.
Top soup with extra mint leaves and serve immediately.