About this time of year I look in the root cellar and have two emotions: The strongest one is feeling good about still having a lot of food to eat given that we're just at the beginning of winter. The other one is a question: "What am I going to do with all those winter squash and beets?" We also still have leeks in the ground and storage onions, potatoes and parsnips.
For this soup I harvested several leeks because they have a milder flavor which I prefer with butternut squash and sweet potatoes. This is a great winter soup, very simple and adaptable to your own seasoning tastes.
Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Soup (Serves 8)
After trimming the roots and ends off 3-4 leeks, cut them in half lengthwise, wash out any residual garden dirt, and slice. Saute in 1-2 Tbsp. oil (e.g. canola).
Peel and cube 2 sweet potatoes and 1 butternut squash (remove seeds) and add to the leeks. Add 2-4 c. water and about a quart of good vegetable broth (or more water). Cook until the squash and potatoes are soft. Puree to desired consistency with an emersion wand. If too thick, add more water, broth, or milk (I like my soups thick). Grate a dash of fresh nutmeg into the pot, and salt and pepper to taste.
When serving: add a dollop of sour cream and stir in slightly (opt). Garnish with parsley (which in our case is also still growing in the herb garden as we've not had enough hard freezes to keel it over yet…).
You could season this with oregano, thyme and basil, and/or add milk to make it more creamy.