Roasted Sweet Potato Soup

I got a letter from the school district this week. Not a letter — an email, which Denise printed out for me because I don't trust emails that I can't hold in my hand. The district is "reviewing nutritional standards for the 2017 school year" and they want input from kitchen staff. They sent a survey. Twenty-three questions about portion sizes and whole grain percentages and "student engagement with plant-based options." I read it twice. I filled it out. Under "additional comments" I wrote: "I have fed over 150,000 meals in this kitchen and I have never needed a survey to tell me what children will eat. Put real food on the tray and they will eat it. Put cardboard in a pretty wrapper and call it a whole grain option and they will throw it away. Respectfully, Dorothy Henderson, Head Cook, Hodge Elementary, 31 years."

Denise said I should not have written that. I said it was the most respectful thing I could have written given the alternatives. She said, "Mama, you're going to get called into a meeting." I said, "Good. I have things to say at a meeting." I have been fighting the district's nutritional guidelines my entire career. They mean well. They always mean well. But they don't stand behind the counter and watch a child push away a "whole grain veggie patty" and go hungry. I do. I watch it every day. And then I make gravy.

The weather this week was perfect. Seventy-five and clear, blue sky, the kind of October day that makes you understand why people from up North move to Savannah and never leave. Earl and I sat on the porch every evening this week, which is four more evenings on the porch than we usually manage in October. He's doing better. The new medication, the walking, the cooler weather — something is working. He looks more like himself. He even helped me in the garden on Saturday, pulling up the dead tomato plants and turning the soil for the winter cover crop. He couldn't do much — ten minutes and he had to sit down — but he was out there, hands in the dirt, and that matters. Being in the garden with Earl Henderson is where I am most myself.

I made sweet potato soup this week. Not sweet potato casserole — that's for Thanksgiving. This is a soup: roasted sweet potatoes blended smooth with chicken broth, a little coconut milk, ginger, and a pinch of cayenne. I top it with toasted pecans and a swirl of cream. It's the kind of soup that makes you close your eyes on the first spoonful because it tastes like October feels — warm, golden, and exactly right. I brought some to Miss Corrine and she said, "You put coconut in this." I said, "Coconut milk." She said, "Hmm." From Miss Corrine, "hmm" with no further comment is a rave.

Now go on and feed somebody.

That Saturday in the garden — Earl with his hands in the cold dirt, doing what little he could — left me wanting to give something warm back to him and to the whole quiet ache of the afternoon. Sweet potato soup felt exactly right: unhurried, golden, the kind of thing you make when you need the kitchen to feel like home. Here’s how I put it together.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 lbs), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated (or 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon butter
3 tablespoons heavy cream, for swirling

Instructions

Roast the sweet potatoes. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Toss the sweet potato cubes with olive oil, salt, and black pepper on a rimmed baking sheet. Spread in a single layer and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once halfway through, until tender and lightly caramelized at the edges.
Toast the pecans. While the potatoes roast, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped pecans and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes until fragrant and golden. Remove from heat and set aside.
Blend the base. Transfer the roasted sweet potatoes to a blender or large pot if using an immersion blender. Add the chicken broth and blend until completely smooth. Work in batches if needed and be careful with the hot liquid.
Simmer and season. Pour the blended soup into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the coconut milk, ginger, cayenne, and garlic powder. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flavors come together. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top each serving with a small handful of toasted pecans and a swirl of heavy cream. Serve immediately with good bread on the side if you have it.

Nutrition (per serving)

Roasted Sweet Potato Soup — The October Bowl That Made Miss Corrine Say “Hmm”