Roasted Potato Soup

I've already blogged a potato soup, but this one is a little bit different: you see, this time I roasted the potatoes first! This teensy extra step added a very nice flavor to this comforting soup on a miserably rainy April day when some members of my family had a cold, some were grumpy about the last weeks of the semester bearing down us like a hungry grizzly bear fresh out of hibernation, and some were a bit of both. The point is, we needed soup, and this one fit the bill beautifully. Try it and you'll see: there's almost nothing that can't be fixed (at least temporarily) by a nice hot bowl of soup and a hunk of bread.

The Potatoes
Ingredients:
~ 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
~ 4 good-size potatoes, cut into 1" cubes
~ About 1/2 tsp. each: salt, black pepper, thyme, tarragon

Directions:
~ Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit
~ Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet, pour oil and spices over, then coat the potatoes thoroughly (you want to do this with your hands to make sure they're all covered; besides, olive oil is Nature's Wonder Product!)
~ Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and ensure they're more or less evenly browned

The Other Stuff
Ingredients:
~ 2 tbsp. Earth Balance (or oil, I just like EB here)
~ 2 cups chopped onions
~ 2 cups chopped leeks
~ 2 tbsp. minced garlic
~ 1/2 cup diced celery
~ 1/2 cup diced carrot
~ 1 tsp. each: salt, thyme, tarragon, sage, rosemary, paprika
~ Fresh black pepper to taste
~ 1/4-1/2 tsp. hot sauce or cayenne pepper (optional)
~ 4 cups vegetable stock
~ 2 cups unsweetened soy milk

Directions:
~ While the potatoes are roasting, melt the EB in a large pot and saute the onions and garlic on medium heat about 5 minutes.
~ Add the celery, carrot and spices. Stir thoroughly and continue cooking another 5 minutes.
~ Pour in the stock, cover and bring to a boil.
~ Lower the heat and simmer 15 minutes
~ When the potatoes are done, add them to the pot, replace the cover, and cook another 15 minutes.
~ Remove from heat, add the soy milk, and puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
~ Return to heat and bring to almost (but not quite!) boiling. Adjust seasonings and serve with some good, crusty bread.