By Chef Tim Byres and Chef Josh Trunnell
Ingredients:
Yields 8 quarts
– 1/4 cup butter
– 2 medium onions, diced
– 1/2 bunch celery, diced small
– 1/2 cup garlic, minced
– 4 quarts chicken stock
– 5 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice
– 3 pounds Andouille sausage, diced small
– 1/2 cup Tabasco sauce
– 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
– 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
– 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
– 2 tablespoons salt
– Ground pepper to taste
– Fresh sage, finely sliced, to taste
Directions:
1. In a 12-quart soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and garlic, sautéing until the vegetables are tender. Incorporate the stock and sweet potatoes. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the sweet potatoes become soft, approximately 1 hour.
2. In a separate pan, cook the sausage in 1/2 cup of oil until it is fully cooked and lightly caramelized. Drain the sausage.
3. Take the soup off the heat and blend it with an immersion blender until smooth. Return the soup to the heat and bring it back to a simmer.
4. Stir in the sausage, spices, and 2 tablespoons of salt. Mix thoroughly and simmer. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce according to taste.
5. Keep the soup warm, covered, until ready to serve. Garnish each bowl with fresh sage.
James Beard award-winner Tim Byres is the co-owner and culinary visionary behind Smoke (in Dallas and Plano), Chicken Scratch (Dallas), The Theodore (Dallas), Spork (Dallas), Bolsa (Dallas), and The Foundry (Dallas). He authored Smoke, New Firewood Cooking. Josh Trunnell is the executive chef at Seventeen51 Restaurant & Bistro At Panorama (Washington).
