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I clipped this recipe from the Boston Globe newspaper years ago, and didn’t know how to attribute it. Since you can find virtually everything on the internet now, I searched and learned its Susan Herrmann Loomis’s recipe. This is one of those deceptively simple recipes, the whole being much more than the sum of its individual parts. When you first taste the boiled potatoes and beans, you think this is the most boring soup imaginable. Then you add the garlic/oil combination and it explodes into life.
I prefer using lower starch potatoes, which hold their shape better, cut into 1” cubes. If you like a soup with more body, use the baking potatoes called for. Their starches will begin to break down and crumble into the soup, thickening it slightly. Either way, this soup is a keeper.
- 1 ½ lbs. baking potatoes, peeled & cut into 2″ cubes
- 1 TB coarse salt
- 6 cups water
- 1 lb. green beans, trimmed & cut into 2″ lengths
- 6 TB olive oil
- 6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Salt & pepper
- Place the potatoes, salt, and water in a large pot over medium-high heat, cover, and bring to a boil
- Cook until the potatoes are nearly soft through, about 15 minutes
- Add the green beans and cook until they start to turn tender and lose their bright green color, about 15 minutes
- While the potatoes and beans are cooking, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan, add the sliced garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, until it turns golden brown, about 8 minutes
- Remove from the heat and reserve. Just before serving, add the garlic and olive oil to the soup and stir
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve immediately
