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Potato, Corn & Roasted Poblano Soup with Poblano Drizzle

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Potato, Corn & Roasted Poblano Soup with Poblano Drizzle

Roberta Reynolds
Like many, I was reluctant to admit that Fall was approaching, and fast. But when I tasted this particular soup at a restaurant near Hailey, Idaho a few weeks ago, I welcomed Fall with open arms. I have taken it upon myself to attempt to recreate what I was able to steal from my husband that night (a precious few bites since he liked it as much as I did) and think this is pretty close. Rich and creamy, and filled with potatoes and corn, then with the added deep and slightly spicy hit of roasted Poblano chilis. I added an additional twist and made a sauce with more roasted Poblanos, balsamic vinegar, garlic and oil and generously drizzled it all over the top. Here is most definitely a soup that you can make your own: Want more potatoes? Go for it. More corn? Add to your hearts content. More chilis? I’m not stopping you. From here on out, it’s all about you and what you like best. I will admit being happy with a little trick in the recipe that allows you a rich and creamy texture with absolutely no cream required. Keep on reading for the recipe and see for yourself.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 10 servings

Ingredients
  

  • FOR THE SOUP
  • 7 Yukon Gold Potatoes peeled and cut into ½ inch chunks. NOTE: This is a big deal so please do not substitute another variety of potato for this particular recipe.
  • 2 quarts water
  • Salt to taste
  • 4-5 ears of corn if you don’t have corn available on the cob, don’t sweat it, with kernels removed to equal about 4 cups of corn. Reserve the cobs if you have them – you can use them in the broth. If you don’t have corn cobs, substitute frozen corn kernels.
  • 1- quart whole milk
  • I tablespoon butter or more if you are in the mood
  • 4-6 large poblano chilis
  • Sharp Cheddar Pepper Jack, or other shredded cheese of your choice for topping
  • FOR THE POBLANO DRIZZLE
  • 4 poblano chilies roasted, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoon fig balsamic vinegar
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • Honey to taste. Start with 2 teaspoons
  • cup olive oil

Instructions
 

  • FOR THE SOUP
  • Before we get started on all of that, why not go ahead and get these Poblano Chilis roasted, prepped, and out of the way? Here’s how it’s done:
  • Line a large cookie sheet with foil.
  • Place the chilis on the foil and broil the chilis under high heat until the skin is blistered and the chilis are softened. Keep an eye on them and turn them over when one side appears done.
  • When the chilis are all softened and blistered from stem to stern, pop them into a large Ziplock bag and let them sit there until cool enough to handle.
  • Remove from the bag, slice off the top of the chili, cut a slit down the side and scoop out the seeds. Now turn it over, and using your paring knife, scrape off the skin of the chilies as well as you can.
  • Now all that needs doing is to cut them into about ¼ or ½ inch cubes, depending on what you prefer. Set aside. And now, on to the soup:
  • In a large soup pot, combine the potatoes, water, and salt.
  • Bring potatoes to a boil and cook potatoes on a low boil until softened, about 10-15 minutes.
  • Using a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes to a bowl and set aside.
  • Add the whole milk to the water in the soup pot.
  • IF YOU HAVE CORN COBS: Cut corncobs in half and add to soup pot.
  • Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. If mixture begins to boil, turn heat to low.
  • Remove corncobs and discard. NOTE: The reason this step is in here is that corn cobs add an immense amount of flavor to the broth of the soup. However, it is not a life or death situation and if you don’t have them, no worries.
  • IF YOU DON’T HAVE CORN COBS: At this juncture, go ahead and add your 4-5 cups of frozen corn.
  • Add corn and butter to milk mixture and continue cooking on low for 3-5 minutes, or until corn is well heated through.
  • Add the potatoes back into the soup pot with the corn.
  • Here’s where the creamy part comes in: Remove approximately 1/3 of the corn and potatoes and place in a blender. Add enough of the broth to rise up about an inch over the top of them. Blend, beginning on low speed, then increasing to very high until the mixture is silky smooth. Because we are using Yukon Gold potatoes instead of Russet potatoes, these guys will put up with a lot of blending without becoming gluey like Russets will, so blend to your heart’s content. If you happen to have a blender without a lot of muscle power, your mixture may not come out silky smooth. If this is the case you have two choices: either push your mixture through a fine mesh strainer to weed out all of the non-blendables, or just say it’s fine as it is and move on ahead.
  • Pour this mixture back into the soup pot and give it a stir. Is it thick enough for your taste? If not, repeat with a couple more ladles filled with corn and potatoes. Keep this up until you are satisfied with the texture.
  • Stir in the poblanos, and reheat, but DO NOT BOIL. If you do, the soup will look like it broke, or curdled (speaking for experience – I looked away for too long one time. It will still taste fine, but will be a little hard to look at UGH)
  • Ladle into bowls, go to town with the Poblano Drizzle on top, and add some sharp cheddar, Pepper Jack or other cheese of your choice.
  • FOR THE POBLANO DRIZZLE
  • Combine the chilis, balsamic vinegar, and garlic in a blender. Pulse until well incorporated. With blender running, gradually add the oil. A fairly thick emulsion will happen.
  • Taste your creation. Add salt if you need to and honey if it’s not sweet enough. Keep working at it until you’re happy with it.
  • At this point I like to pour into a squeeze bottle and drizzle all over the soup before digging in.

You may know that I’m a big chicken when it comes to spicy food, but I know many are not. If you are one of those brave heat seekers, feel free to add chopped jalapeños, cayenne pepper, the hot sauce of your choice, etc. You know more about that area than I do, so heat this guy up if it suits you.

Looks like there is a ton of cream in there, doesn’t it? Not a drop, believe it or not. I have devised a trick to make this soup taste and feel rich and creamy without it. The secret? It’s all in the choice of potato, which needs to be Yukon Gold. It also requires a blender with a certain amount of horse power. What happens is that a portion of the cooked potatoes, corn, and broth are blended together at top speed until they are rich and creamy, then added back into the soup until you are satisfied it’s as thick as you want.

Yukon Golds are relatively low in starch, so they will stand up to a pummeling by any blender and not get all gummy like their Russet cousins, which happen to be loaded with starch. So there you have it – simple, quick, and guilt free.

I like this soup just the way it is, but really – if you make the Poblano Drizzle and add it to the top of your bowl, it will blow you away. It’ got just enough of a little acidic kick to balance out the creaminess of the soup.

I will never say no to adding plenty of sharp Cheddar or Pepper Jack as well. My theory is: you’ve saved countless calories on a cream-free soup, so let’s just go on ahead and add some of that right back on in there with a generous sprinkle of cheese. Are you with me on this?

I hope you enjoy this one! And thanks so much for reading today. xoxoxo

Hello. I’m Roberta Reynolds.

I’m so glad you dropped in! Welcome to Bird’s Nest Bakery and Café, a collection of ‘made from scratch’, seasonal recipes developed in my home kitchen. I’ve been obsessed with creating the easiest and most delicious recipes possible since I could reach the top of a stove.

I hope you’ll find this site a welcome and relaxing place where you can come for inspiration and ideas. Take a look, have fun, and feel free to modify these recipes to suit your particular palate. It would make me so happy if you would share these recipes with friends and family. After all, cooking and baking are meant to be shared with those we care about. That’s what’s so much fun about it!