Song of the South...
Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 10:30PM 
sweet potato soup and shut my mouth!
Ok, so I tweaked the lyrics just a little bit. While I'm sure the beloved sweet potato pie that the band Alabama sang of in "Song of the South" must surely have been palate-pleasing, I would be willing to bet it doesn't hold a candle to the soup I made last night with those same red-skinned tubers. April has brought us some unseasonably cold weather this week, pushing back our planting days and giving us cause to return to the hearty goodness of the one-pot meal.
Sweet potatoes got you down? Have you had them every which way you could imagine? Baked, mashed, French-fried, potato-chipped, au gratin? If your answer is yes, then it's time for you to return to our culinary beginnings--the humble stew, where every vegetable (and meat) can coexist, mixing and melding flavors until finally, thirty minutes of simmering later, you end up with one rich taste explosion! And leftovers to boot.
Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup (adapted from a similar recipe on Epicurious)
2T extra virgin olive oil
1 10-11 oz. smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/4" thick slices* (ours came from Bates Farm, Logan, AL)
2 medium onions, chopped
3T fresh garlic chives, chopped
2 lbs red-skinned sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/4" thick slices (we used the "Ruby Red" variety from Burris Farms in Baldwin Co., AL)
1 lb white-skinned potatoes, peeled and quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/4" thick slices
1 cup dark beer (we used Abita Turbodog)
1 cup water
4 cups vegetable stock (we used stock leftover from blanching broccoli)
6-8 oz. turnip greens, kale, or spinach (we used turnip greens from Snow's Bend Farm in Tuscaloosa, AL)
*Don't like sausage? You don't know what you're missing! But if you insist, try this dish sans meat. It'll be nearly as delicious!
Heat 2T oil in large heavy pot over med-high heat. Add sausage. Cook until brown, stirring often, about 8-10 min. Transfer sausage to plate to drain. Add onions and garlic chives to pot. Cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Garlic chives will darken, be careful not to burn. Add all the potatoes and cook until they begin to soften, stirring often. About 12-15 min.
Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Potatoes should be soft at this point. Use a potato masher to mash potatoes while in the pot. Add cooked sausage to soup. Stir in turnip greens and simmer for 5 more minutes, until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
Reader Comments (3)
Good luck with the project. Though you'll be missing out on some great BBq at Memphis in may.
Also, I have no blog of my own to share your sight with other on . I have put a card board sign in the window of my automobile and inform folks of the sight.
Jus' doin my part
That looks delicious! wow,never thought of sweet potatos like that. i will have to try it sometime