Potato And Mushroom Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

50 g smoked bacon, finely diced
2 None onions, peeled and chopped
800 g floury potatoes, peeled and diced
150 g carrots, peeled and diced
1 litre vegetable stock
1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme leaves, plus sprgs to garnish
150 g creme fraiche
20 g butter
150 g small brown cap or chanterelle mushrooms, wiped and sliced

Preparation

Heat a non-stick saucepan and add the chopped bacon. Cook over a medium heat until browned and crisp. Remove the bacon and set aside on paper towel. Add half the chopped onions to the bacon fat in the pan and saute for 5 mins. Stir in the potatoes and carrots and cook for a further 5 mins, stirring all the time.
Add the stock and chopped thyme and season with freshly ground black pepper. Cover and simmer for 20-25 mins until the vegetables are tender. Remove the pan from the heat and use a stick blender to puree the soup. Stir in 1/3 cup of the sour cream and reheat gently. Season to taste.
Heat the butter in a skillet and cook the remaining onions for 5 mins, add the mushrooms and cook until tender and golden. Stir in the bacon pieces to heat through. Season with black pepper.
Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and top with spoonfuls of the remaining sour cream and the onion, mushroom and bacon mixture. Garnish with thyme and serve immediately.