Roasted Sunchoke and Mushroom Bisque

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds sunchokes, scrubbed and cut into 1/3-inch slices
• 1 large potato, preferably Yukon Gold, scrubbed and cut into wedges
• 6 large garlic cloves
• olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large onion or 2 leeks, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, plus more for the mushrooms
• 8 ounces mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage or thyme leaves

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the sunchoke slices, potato wedges, and whole garlic cloves with olive oil and a few pinches of sea salt. Transfer them to a sheet pan (use two if they’re too crowded on one pan) and roast until the tubers are browned in some places, about 45 minutes.
2. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large, heavy soup pot. Add the onion and cook over medium heat for several minutes, stirring occasionally. Add all of the roasted vegetables along with 1 teaspoon of sea salt and 1 cup of water. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add another 9 cups of water and any brown juices that remain on the sheet pan(s). Simmer soup, covered, for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. In the meantime, heat a saute pan over high heat with a little olive oil or canola oil, until it’s very hot. Add the sliced mushrooms along with a good pinch of salt, and cook until they’re nicely seared and brown. Season with a little freshly ground black pepper and set aside (you can reserve a small portion to use for garnishing the bowls.)
4. When soup is done cooking, use an immersion blender (or a regular blender, or food processor — if you use these methods, you’ll need to work in batches) to puree the mixture. I like to leave a little bit of texture in my soup, and flecks of brown from the sunchoke skins. Stir in the cream, mushrooms, and chopped sage (or thyme.) Taste for salt and adjust to your liking; add freshly ground black pepper.
5. Serve, optionally garnished with a little mound of browned mushrooms and more chopped herbs.

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