After tasting the new dish tonight, Steve said, "You have to share this recipe".

Tonight I realized I had too much milk in the fridge, some fresh rosemary that had to be used tonight or relegated to the trash very soon, and I thought wouldn't Rosemary Roasted Potatoes (Emily Anne shared that delicious recipe with me...Yum!) be great in soup form on a chilly day? So, I put to use the new search skills I learned from reading an article in our local internet provider's online newsletter (aren't you proud of me, Lana?) and found a recipe that was just what I was looking for! By providence, I had all the ingredients on hand (except the bacon garnish, which would have made it even more delicious)! That is amazing in itself!

Maybe you will enjoy it, too. Steve rated it 5 out of 5 stars and suggested, immediately after about three bites, that I share the recipe with my daughters and daughter-in-law. I thought perhaps others would like to try it, too.

If you buy fresh rosemary for a special recipe, this could be the dish to use the remaining rosemary. I noticed there were also recipes for sweet potato soups with rosemary. May have to try one of those in the future.

I give credit to Allrecipes.com from which I copied the following recipe:


Creamy Potato With Rosemary Soup
Submitted by: USA WEEKEND columnist Pam Anderson. Rated: 5 out of 5 by 10 members

Yields: 8 servings

"Fresh rosemary and garlic makes this creamy potato soup extraordinary. Top with crumbled bacon."

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds peeled russet (Idaho) potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large onion, cut into large dice
1 tablespoon butter
1 pinch sugar
3 large garlic cloves, thickly sliced
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups chicken broth, homemade or from a carton or can
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups half-and-half (or whole milk)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Garnish: crumbled bacon

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep saute pan until shimmering.
2. Add potatoes, then onion; saute, stirring very little at first, then more frequently, until
potatoes start to turn golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to low and add butter, sugar and garlic; continue cooking until all vegetables are
a rich spotty caramel color, about 10 minutes longer.
4. Add cayenne pepper; continue to saute until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute longer.
5. Add broth; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer,
partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
6. Using an immersion blender or traditional blender, puree (adding fresh rosemary) until very
smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (If using a traditional blender, vent it either by removing the
lid's pop-out center or by lifting one edge of the lid. Drape the blender canister with a kitchen
towel. To 'clean' the canister, pour in a little half-and-half, blend briefly, then add to the soup.)
7. Return to pan (or a soup pot); add enough half-and-half so the mixture is souplike, yet thick
enough to float garnish. Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed. Heat through, ladle into
bowls, garnish and serve.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2008 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com 10/23/2008

To cut the fat content somewhat, I used part skim milk and part half-and-half. I happened to have some leftover half-and-half, which I never buy, but which someone else purchased for a recipe and left here. The nutrition information (which I didn't look at before hand) is on the Allrecipes.com website.