roast potato and parsnip soup with parsley oil and crispy bacon

More comfort food for a wintry day, made from what I had available in the fridge. This is a smooth yet hearty soup, and very easy to whip up. Worth taking the extra step of roasting the vegies, especially the garlic.

You will need:
4 small parsnips
4 medium potatoes
1 onion
1 bulb of garlic
1 litre vegetable stock
1 rasher of bacon per serve
a handful of flat leaf parsley
unsalted butter
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

bread and butter, to serve.

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 200'c. Dice the parsnip and potato, and slice the top off the garlic bulb. Spread evenly onto a baking tray and place into oven for approximately 20 minutes, then remove the garlic bulb and return the remaining vegetables to the oven for another 20 minutes.

Bring the stock to the boil. Dice the onion and then sautee in a large saucepan until just translucent. Add the roasted vegetables and vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth. Meanwhile, lay the bacon flat on a baking rack and cook in the 200'c oven for approximately 15 minutes, until just crisped.

Strain the soup back into the saucepan, removing any fibres or lumps. Leave over a very low heat to remain warm. Taste and adjust seasoning with freshly cracked salt and pepper.

Blend olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper until a coarse paste forms.

Portion the soup into individual bowls and serve, topped with a drizzle of the parsley oil and a rasher of crisped bacon (optional). Perfect with sourdough bread and butter. Enjoy!