Creamy Butternut squash Soup with Crispy Sage

First Step is to slice and roast the butternut squash.

Roasting the butternut squash before making the soup brings out a richer, more pronounced butternut squash taste.

Slice the top off of the squash and then quarter it by slicing first in half across the middle (the narrow part that is easiest to cut) and then slicing each half lengthwise. Peel the skin off of the squash using a vegetable peeler.

Set the squash pieces on a roasting pan  and drizzle with olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and cook in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

Remove the squash from the oven and let cool on the counter.

Peel and chop the potatoes, the shallot and the garlic. (you can chop the ingredients into big chunks - they will be puréed afterwards,  easy peasy!)

Le Chef's Tip: To release the flavors of the sage in the soup, take the bunch of sage and make little incisions in the back of each leaf. No need to cut all the way through, you just want to make tiny little cuts to let the flavors of the sage seep out.

Now that all of your ingredients are prepped  it is time to turn the heat on under your soup pot.

On medium heat melt the butter. Add in the sage bunch, the garlic and the shallot. Sautée until the shallots become translucent being careful not to let the butter get too hot. If the butter starts to brown, bring the temperature down.

Remove the bunch of sage using a pair of tongs.

Now, add the potatoes and the chicken bouillon. Stir.

While the soup comes to a simmer, chop the roasted butternut squash into smaller pieces and add them to the soup pot. Stir.

Let the soup simmer for 30 minutes.

Once the potatoes and squash are cooked through (you should be able to smash them easily with a fork), turn off the heat.

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup into a fine purée. There should be no chunks left. (If you only have a stand blender this works too, it is just a little messier transferring the soup into the blender)

Add in the cup of cream. Blend again.

Taste the soup (always taste your cooking!), add a pinch of salt if needed and stir.

Let sit while you finish the garnish.

For the crispy sage garnish:

Le Chef taught me the most incredible trick for making perfect crispy sage - in the microwave!!

Step one: Cover  a large microwave safe bowl tightly with plastic wrap  (nothing should be in the bowl)

Dip each sage leaf in olive oil on both sides. Set the individual leaves on top of the plastic wrap, spaced apart.

Microwave for 30 seconds and then flip the leaves over. Repeat 4-5 times until the leaves are perfectly crisp, crackly and bright green. If they have gone black you have left them too long.

This was a major lightbulb moment for me! I had no idea I could make crispy sage like this without a fryer!

To serve:

Ladle the butternut squash soup into individual bowls. Drizzle a tablespoon of heavy cream over every bowl in a swirl motion. Gently set the crispy sage leaves in the middle of the swirl.