My old boss Tony Elliott likes to tease me about my predilection for chorizo so I’m thinking of him as I fry slivers cut from a whole sausage turning them into irresistible chips. They make a transforming garnish for this very simple store cupboard soup, just onion ad garlic softened in butter and vegetable oil and peeled chunked potatoes cooked until they flop. A little flour helps stop the potato sink and a goodly squeeze of lemon helps thicken the soup further and really lifts the flavours. A spoonful of creme fraiche and a few snipped chives are icing on the cake.
Serves 4
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 30 min
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
25g butter
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 kg floury potatoes
1 tbsp flour
1.2 litres chicken, ham or vegetable stock
1 lemon
3 tbsp creme fraiche
3 tbsp finely snipped chives
100g chorizo
Halve, peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Soften in butter melted in the oil in a spacious, lidded pan over a medium-low heat. Stir often, adding a generous pinch salt. Meanwhile, peel, chunk and rinse the potatoes. Stir the potatoes into the buttery, semi-softened onion and stir in the flour, stirring until disappeared. Add 500ml stock, increase the heat and stir as it comes up to the boil. Stir vigorously as the liquid thickens then add remaining stock. Adjust the heat so the soup simmers steadily, semi cover the pan and cook until the potatoes are tender to the point of a knife. Mash with a potato masher attempting a smooth finish but simmer for a few more minutes until smoother. Season to taste with salt, stir in the lemon juice. Stir before serving very hot with a spoonful of creme fraiche, scattering of chives and a few chorizo crisps. To make the chorizo crisps, run a sharp knife down the sausage and peel away the skin. Slice in very thin rounds and fry (they will quickly produce their own fat) for a couple of minutes a side. Rest on a fold of kitchen paper to drain and crisp and cut in half.