Asparagus-Potato Chowder

This Asparagus-Potato Chowder combines Yukon Gold potatoes and asparagus tips in a creamy chowder made with asparagus stock, smashed potatoes, and mascarpone.

This asparagus-potato chowder begins with a stock made from onions and the tough ends of the asparagus that you would normally toss into the compost pile. Other flavors include garlic, Dijon mustard, dry white wine, and dill.

You simmer the Yukon Gold potatoes in the stock, and when they are tender, you mash half of them into the soup to thicken it. Once you have created a thickened potato chowder and added the mascarpone, you cook the asparagus tips and stalks until they are just tender and bright green.

You garnish this potato and asparagus chowder with dill fronds and hot sauce, such as Sriracha. It's so delicious.

This month, the Soup Saturday group, organized by Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm, is making soups with potatoes, a theme chosen by Sid of Sid's Sea Palm Cooking. With 3 cups of Yukon Gold potatoes, I thought this soup would be lovely for this theme.

You don't typically think about pairing potatoes and asparagus in a dish, but this soup proves that they belong together. If you can't get fresh asparagus right now (luckily, I can), definitely pin this recipe for when it's available.

How do you keep asparagus fresh in the refrigerator?

Trim a bit off of the ends and stand the stalks up in a jar with about an inch of water in the bottom. Cover the asparagus loosely with a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator for at least a week, and likely longer. Be sure to change the water every couple of days. 

Should I peel the Yukon Gold potatoes?

You can if you prefer, but I left the peel on. The peel is so thin that it hardly matters, and it's a lot less work. 

After the recipe, be sure to check out the delicious soups from the rest of the group.

asparagus, potato, soup

Soup

American

Yield: 6 to 8 servingsAuthor: Karen Kerr

Asparagus-Potato Chowder

ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds medium-thick asparagus
• 2 large sweet onions, 1 quartered, 1 finely chopped
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon grainy Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 6 ounces mascarpone, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, plus a few fronds for garnish
• Freshly ground black paper
• Hot sauce for garnish

instructions

1. Trim the ends off of the asparagus spears and place them in a four quart saucepan. Add the onion that has been quartered, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 8 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. 
2. Cut the asparagus tips from the stalks, and cut them in half, lengthwise, and cut the rest of the stalks crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces. Set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the cream and the cornstarch. 
3. Strain the broth from the saucepan into a bowl and discard the asparagus ends and simmered onion. 
4. In the same saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the chopped onion. Cook, stirring every minute or so, until the onion begins to brown, 6 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and mustard and cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine and cook, stirring, for one minutes. Add the broth back to the pan, along with the potatoes and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 6 to 9 minutes. 
5. Using a slotted spoon, remove about half of the potatoes from the pan and set aside in a bowl. Turn off the heat, and, using a potato masher, roughly mash the rest of the potatoes in the saucepan. Return the rest of the potatoes to the pan. 
6. Mix the mascarpone into the pan with a whisk, and turn on the heat to barely simmering. Whisk in the cream and cornstarch mixture into the pan, and simmer on low, whisking constantly, until it thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the reserved asparagus and cook until it is a bright green and just cooked, about 2 to 3 minutes. 
7. Turn off the heat and add the dill, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Taste the broth and adjust the salt and pepper. 
8. Serve, garnished with dill fronds and drops of hot sauce. 

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2018/09/asparagus-potato-chowder.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

This recipe was adapted from Fine Cooking April/May 2014

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