Potato-dill soup

So, if you came here looking for a recipe, I have to apologize as I don’t have one. This is one of those I threw a bunch of stuff in a pot and this is what came out and it looks really cool and was super delicious and wholesome and hearty so I am going to share it with you even though I didn’t measure anything at all but I KNOW you will like it so trust me and run with it, enjoy the process.

I have a tremendous amount of dill growing in my garden. I make garlic dill pickles every year and I grow this gorgeously-fragrant herb from the carrot family so I can harvest the seeds. (I also use the leaves.) If you don’t collect all the seeds when they are ready, you can end up with zillions of very eager volunteers and then you need recipes (‘scuse me, non-recipes) like these to deal with the excess. Or you need friends who love a LOT of dill. Or both.

The ingredients:

Chicken broth (you can use vegetable broth if you prefer) – about 1 litre

A sizeable bouquet of fresh dill leaves from your garden – remove the foliage from the stems and chop it finely (if you want something to do with the stems, chop them into pieces and throw them in a clean glass mason jar. Pour over with white vinegar or white wine vinegar. Cover and let the mixture sit in the fridge for about a week or two. Strain the stems out and you have a dill-flavoured vinegar infusion that you can use in salads.)

Onion (1 small, or you can use two shallots if you have them)

Carrots (you get to decide how many)

Potatoes (about 2 medium or 5 baby spuds)

A dollop of cream (the thick stuff is best, like 30 percent, but if you only have 10 percent or even milk, don’t hesitate to use it. Of course, you can substitute with a small amount of nut milk if you wish or skip this part entirely).

A pat of butter (or ghee or whatever you would like to use; this can be substituted if you don’t eat dairy or animal products)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

A pinch of ground nutmeg

Juice of half a fresh lemon

The process:

Melt the butter or whatever fat you’re using in a hot saucepan, then cook the onion, carrots, and potatoes gently until the onion is soft. Then add the broth and the dill. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat down, slap a lid on the pot, and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the veggies are cooked. Then add the salt and pepper, nutmeg, and cream. Heat for about one minute, then squeeze the juice out of half a lemon into the pot and ladle the soup into serving bowls. Grab a spoon and go!