Potato soup

A classic Czech potato soup with mushrooms, root vegetables and marjoram — humble, vegetarian and deeply savoury, ready in about 45 minutes.

Ingredients

• potatoes400 g
• mushrooms150 g
• carrot1 pcs
• marjoram1 tsp
• garlic2 cloves
• broth1 l

Method

1. Prepare the vegetables. Peel and dice the potatoes and carrot into roughly 1 cm cubes. Clean the mushrooms and slice them, and finely chop or crush the garlic.
2. Sweat mushrooms and carrot. Warm a little oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the carrot and mushrooms. Cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and the carrot has softened slightly.
3. Add garlic. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant — don't let it colour.
4. Add potatoes and broth. Tip in the diced potatoes, pour over the litre of broth, and bring to a gentle boil. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Simmer until tender. Reduce the heat and simmer for 18–22 minutes, until the potatoes are completely tender when pierced with a knife. Some of the potato pieces will begin to break down slightly, which naturally thickens the soup.
6. Season with marjoram. Stir in the marjoram and taste for seasoning, adjusting salt and pepper as needed. Let the soup sit off the heat for a couple of minutes — marjoram's flavour blooms as it steeps.
7. Ladle and serve. Serve hot in deep bowls. A slice of crusty bread alongside is the classic accompaniment.

Safety & hygiene Important

• Dried mushroom caution. If using dried wild mushrooms instead of fresh, make sure they are fully rehydrated and cooked through — some wild varieties can cause digestive upset if eaten undercooked.