Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

It has been a month since my last post, and here we are in mid-August.  Emily was awy for the last two weeks of July (a mini vacation for me, I admit unabashedly) It took us another week to settle back into our routine.  She's been getting lots of babysitting jobs which keeps her busy, and is adding nicely to her small pile of savings.
I had stumbled across this recipe one afternoon and thought it looked really good.  We both like sweet potatoes and I like having a solid list of fast and easy meals tucked away, recipes with ingredients we usually have in the house.  This fit the bill.  Not really a summer dish, but last Monday the forecast was for cool, rainy weather - which we have had far too much of this summer!  Still, it seemed a good opportunity to take this recipe out for a test drive.
While Emily peeled and chopped the sweet potatoes I peeled and grated some ginger.  My sister said someone at work had told her to grate any excess ginger root and freeze in tablespoon sized portions, as ginger root, while relatively inexpensive, does dry up pretty quickly for those of us who don't use it daily.  I'll let you know how this experiment turns out.  I suppose you could use dried ginger in the soup, but you'd have to play with the amount a little.  I'd suggest starting with a teaspoon or so, as the ginger was not a hugely present in the flavour profile of the soup, but it did add something.
Sweet potatoes, onion, garlic and ginger were simmered in vegetable broth (I'm sure chicken stock would work just as well) until the potatoes were tender.  When the broth first came to a boil, at which point the recipe directs you to reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, Emily pulled out the immersion blender.  Thankfully I was in the kitchen.  You cannot puree something that is as firm as a raw potato.  At least not without making a colossal mess.  She waited, impatiently until the potatoes were finally sufficiently soft, and then put the immersion blender to use.
The soup was rich and creamy; topped with crispy bits of bacon and a dollop of sour cream.  Definitely a keeper, although I would be inclined to double it.  I had a bowlful for lunch the next day, Emily ate the rest for her own lunch.  More leftovers are never a bad thing.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

3 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped       1" piece of ginger root, peeled & grated

         (about 4)                                                            1 quart vegetable broth

1 medium onion, chopped                                           salt & pepper

3 cloves garlic   

Combine all ingredients in a large pot, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.  Cool slightly and puree in a food processer, blender or with an immersion blender.

Serve topped with bacon, Greek yogurt, sour cream, croutons, or fresh herbs, as desired.