Can I just say that dealing with chestnuts is not exactly the most fun task in the ...

... world, which I’m sure any of you who’ve done it would agree with me.

They’re just sort of high maintenance compared to what you get from them. However, I really like using them and I’ve gotta say I’ve dealt with much worse ingredients in my food blogging past so it’s not too bad to mess with them a few times a year. Plus, you all know how much I love to get into themes and stuff, and come on, chestnuts and Christmastime go together like pb&j! Am I right? Am I right????

Okay, but aside from the chestnuts, this soup is a breeze to make and it has so many of the flavors that I love about the holiday season. I really wanted to get the chestnut flavor in there so I added quite a bit.

--Creamy Roasted Chestnut Potato Soup (Vegan+GF)--
Warm things up tonight with this hearty and delicious soup that makes a great use of the roasted chestnuts.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 6 - 8 servings

--Ingredients--
6 cloves garlic minced
1 medium onion diced
2 medium apples peeled and finely diced
4 stalks celery finely chopped
1 pound about 3 medium red skin potatoes, washed and cut into cubes
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary roughly chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves roughly chopped
8 cups vegetable stock
2/3 cup coconut cream *see note
2 tablespoons flour or arrowroot starch for gluten free
2 cups shelled roasted chestnuts
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

--Instructions--
In a large, wide-topped pot or dutch oven add the garlic, onion, celery, apples, potatoes, rosemary, and sage. and cook over medium high heat. Pour in about 1/4 cup of vegetable broth and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring very often, until the potatoes are just starting to soften. Pour in the rest of the broth, then cover pot with lid and bring to a boil.

Chop the chestnuts into small pieces and add to the pot when it starts to boil. Remove lid, reduce heat to medium low, and boil uncovered for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are very soft.
Whisk the cream and flour together in a small bowl or glass until smooth, then stir it into the soup.
Continue stirring continuously until the soup starts to thicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper then remove from heat and allow it to cool off just a little bit before serving.

--Recipe Notes--
If you have trouble finding coconut cream at your local grocery store it's completely fine to use full-fat coconut milk and scrape the cream off of the top. Just be sure that it's cold enough to separate.