Sweet Potato and Smoked Bacon Soup

So as to make tonight’s entertaining go a little smoother I made the starter last night. It’s a simple soup but easier to make in advance and warm through just before serving.

To make this soup fry a finely chopped onion in a large pan in a little oil. Add some grated garlic and fry until softening but not too brown. Add some chopped smoked bacon (we used some streaky, smoked Berkshire bacon) , a couple of rashers is enough, and fry until crispy.

Whilst the onion and bacon are frying add some chopped sweet potatoes to a bowl of water and cook in the microwave until soft. Alternatively you can roast the sweet potatoes until soft for a deeper flavour but this takes a little longer.

Next add a pint of vegetable stock and a couple of teaspoons of smoked paprika to the pan with the onions and bacon and add your cooked sweet potatoes. Leave to simmer for a few minutes before finally blending together with a hand blender until smooth. 

Serve with hot crusty bread rolls.

This is a fantastic warming soup full of flavour yet so simple to make. Its always a winner with guests. Enjoy.