Vegan Potato Soup Minimalist Baker Food

VEGAN BAKED POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Heat a medium-size heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the scallion whites and all but about 1/4 cup of the scallion greens and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring, until tender and aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the broth, cashew milk, potatoes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a generous amount of pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender and crumble when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. The cashew milk will look curdled when it first comes to a boil and for a few minutes after it simmers, but it will smooth out when the soup is pureed.
• While the potatoes cook, dry the reserved potato peelings well. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potato peels flesh-side down in a single layer and fry, turning once or twice, until crispy and golden brown, about 4 minutes total. Transfer to paper towels using a slotted spoon, then immediately season with salt and a generous dusting of smoked paprika and transfer to a plate or rack-the longer they stay on towels, the quicker they de-crisp.
• When the potatoes are done, turn off the heat and use a slotted spoon to scoop one-third to one-half of the chunks into a bowl. Puree the remaining mixture in the pot with an immersion blender until smooth. Alternatively, allow the mixture to cool slightly and then puree in batches in a regular blender. (See Cook's Note.) Stir in the nutritional yeast and vegan sour cream until smooth.
• Return the potato chunks to the soup, crumbling them a bit as you drop them into the pot. Heat over low heat until hot; it doesn't have to come to a boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper as needed.
• Divide the soup among shallow bowls and top each with some vegan cheddar, a dollop of sour cream and some reserved scallion greens. Crumble the potato peels over the tops.