Recipe: Holiday Sweet Potato Soup

Holiday Sweet Potato Soup
alt.creative-cooking/Judi Mae Phelps
Serves about 6 people

This recipe is the result of my thumbing through several sweet potato soup recipes looking for the perfect one for dinner. It is a combination of many I saw and had to make do with what I had in the house. It turned out quite well and is defined by my husband as a "keeper." :-) You might want to increase the nutmeg a little more as I think it could have used a little bit more spice--hope you enjoy it.

3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup shallots; chopped
1/2 medium onion; diced
2 stalks celery; sliced
6 cups homemade chicken stock
pinch nutmeg
1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes; peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
1 cup half and half
3 tbsp dry sherry
white pepper to taste
1/2 cup walnuts; chopped finely

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add the shallots, onion, and celery; cook over low heat about 6 minutes (keep stirring). Add chicken stock, nutmeg, and sweet potatoes. Bring mixture to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes. When the potatoes seem tender, put the mixture into a food processor or blender and mix until smooth. Put mixture into a saucepan and add the half and half and sherry. Stir to mix and smooth out. Season with pepper and continue to heat but don't bring to a full boil. Place walnuts in a small dish and have each diner sprinkle the chopped walnuts in the filled soup bowl.