Chestnuts and sage, a classic Christmas combo. This soup is loosely based on an old Scottish recipe. It is well textured from the chestnuts and rich from the sage. Even better, it is ready in under 30 minutes. You can also make this the day before.
Time: 30 minutes
Serve: 4-6
Difficulty: Straight Forward
2x180g packs of Cooked Chestnuts
2 Medium Floury Potatoes
1 Onion
6 tablespoons of Butter
6 Sage Leaves
600ml Whole Milk
600ml Vegetable Stock
25ml of Brandy or Whiskey
1. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes, chop the onion and roughly dice all but 6 of the chestnuts. Add to the soup pot with 3 tablespoons of butter and cook on a medium heat until the onion is softened.
2. Add the Brandy or whiskey to deglaze the pan. Cook for 2 minutes. Then add the stock and the milk. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Melt the remaining butter in a separate pan. Add the sage leaves and the remaining chestnuts and cook on a low heat. You are wanting to infuse the butter not brown the butter.
4. Once 20 minute is over and the potatoes have softened, blend with a hand blender. Salt and pepper to taste. Add extra stock if too thick.
5. Serve into bowls and place a chestnut and a sage leaf on top. Drizzle with the melted sage butter.
Recipes from my kitchen, Edinburgh, Scotland 