bring your own leprechaun

taken from the nyt: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/04/health/nutrition/03recipehealth.html?ref=nutrition

kale and potato soup

instead of celebrating (or fabricating) our irish heritage with the rest of america's irresponsible youth, we were writing our term papers. so i had everyone over on saturday for a late celebration, complete with potato soup and brown soda bread. here's the soup:

ingredients:
2tbsp olive oil (plus more to taste)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt, pepper to taste
2 to 2 1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 bunch of kale, thoroughly washed and chopped into relatively small pieces
bouquet garni (or something less pretentious) with any of the following: bay leaf, parsely, thyme, parmesan rind, small hunk of parmesan cheese.

food prep:
this dish gets going really fast, so pretend you're on a cooking show and chop/peel everything beforehand. i did it about 4 hours in advance and threw it all in tupperwares and gratin dishes in the fridge. it made things way easier and faster - especially if you're expecting company.

equipment:
having a potato masher will really increase the success of this recipe.

to make:
heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. when hot, add the onion and cook for 5 mins, stirring often.
add garlic and salt, cook 1 min
stir in potatoes, 2 quarts water, and 'bouquet garni'
bring to a boil, add salt
reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 mins (until the potatoes are falling apart)
remove bouquet garni
mash potatoes with your masher
stir in the kale and simmer for 10-15 mins uncovered (until the kale is tender but still colorful)
taste, adjust salt, add pepper and 1 tbsp olive oil

let your guests serve themselves. set out parmesan cheese and extra salt and pepper.

serves 6 healthy adults.