Request: Skyrim’s Potage Le Magnifique
This request from @midasesquivel has given me the run around for far too long. I spent a while trying to find the right flavor mixture, starting to add more and more unnecessary ingredients. But one night I sat down and looked at everything again my epiphany came down to this: nothing beats roasted garlic (the only addition I decided worth keeping) and caramelized onions for feel-good flavors in a soup. And I’m glad I took my own advice because I can finally present Skyrim’s Potage Le Magnifique!
4 tbsp. Butter, separated in half
2 tbsp. Flour or Cornstarch
Spices to taste: Black Pepper, Herbs de Provence or a mixture of rosemary, thyme, sage, and parsley.
Prep Time: Up to 1 hr. | Total Cook Time: 30 - 40 min.
Preparing the Roast Garlic
Step 1.) Preheat your oven to 400°F. Take the bulb of garlic and remove the outermost layers of the bulb (A few layers will come off easily in your hands. The result should be a bulb with fewer outer layers, but that is still in one piece)
Step 2.) Cut the top 1-2 inches of the bulb so that the sliced tops of the garlic cloves are showing.
Step 3.) Place aluminum on a baking sheet an put the garlic bulb in the center. Drizzle the bulb with a spoonful of olive oil and then seal the foil around the bulb. Bake for 40 minutes, then open the foil and allow to bake for 10 min. increments until the cloves are fork tender and their color is browned to your liking. Set aside to cool for at least 10 min. before handling.
Step 4.) When you go to remove the garlic, they are soft and should easily come out. You can either pull the cloves off and peel the casings open, or squeeze the cloves out of the bulb like a tube of toothpaste. Set aside.
Step 1.) Take the onion and cut it into long, thin pieces. Melt 2 tbsp. of butter in the soup pot and add in the onions. Allow to cook over a medium heat for 10-15 min. or until the onions are soft and browned.
Step 2.) Once the onions are almost fully caramelized, add in the roast garlic and the spices and stir the mixture together.
Step 3.) Lower the heat and push the mixture to one side of the pot. Place the other 2 tbsp. of butter into the pot and allow it to melt. Add in the flour.cornstarch. Whisk the butter and flour together while slowly raising the heat back up to medium until you get a fully mixed roux.
Step 4.) Once you have the roux mixed, add in the chopped carrots and mix everything that is in the pot together. Slowly begin stirring in the chicken and beef broth. Allow everything to come to a bowl and then simmer until the carrots are soft. Taste the soup and adjust the spices as necessary.
Step 5.) As the soup has been simmering and then begins to cool, it will continue to thicken. If it does not seem thick enough for your potage, you can add another tbsp. of flour/cornstarch. At this point, you can serve the soup with the carrots still in cubes, or you can take a blender to the soup to make it completely smooth. Serve with bread of your choice! Enjoy!
The roast garlic and caramelized onions bring a powerful base flavor to this soup, and I’ve begun to use it as a base for a lot of my soups, not just the potage! I recommend for any garlic lover, and those who aren’t feeling good and need a hot soup as a pick-me-up!
