Roasted Garlic & White Bean Soup with Herb Oil

For the Soup:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Halve the garlic heads and place them on a baking sheet lined with tin foil.
3. Drizzle over 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season generously with salt. Wrap the heads of garlic with another piece of foil and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the garlic is caramelized and soft.
4. Allow the garlic to cool a little bit before handling.
5. While the garlic is cooling, heat a large pot over medium heat and add the remaining olive oil and the butter.
6. Once the butter is melted, squeeze the roasted garlic from the skins directly into the pot. Add in the sliced shallot and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the shallots are softened.
7. Add in the fresh sage and rosemary and stir to combine. Cook for another minute.
8. Add in the potato and beans and stir everything well to combine. Stream in the broth, another pinch of salt, some black pepper and bring the mixture to a simmer.
9. Simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes or until the potato is super tender and falling apart.
10. Puree the soup until completely smooth – either transfer to a regular blender (in batches) or blend directly in the pot using an immersion blender.
11. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the cream. Season, to taste, with additional salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

For the Herb Oil:

1. While the soup is cooking, make the herb oil by combining the oil and herbs in a food processor. Run the machine for a minute, pausing to scrape down teh slides of the bowl as needed. You want the herbs completely pulverized.
2. Use the herb as is or strain through a fine-mesh strainer if a smoother consistency is desired (as shown in the photos of this post).

To Serve:

1. Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with a drizzle of cream (or a dollop of sour cream) and a drizzle of the herb oil.
2. Sprinkle each bowl of soup with fresh chives. Serve immediately with toasty bread on the side.