White Sweet Potato Soup with Miso
by Andrea Reusing, chef-owner at Lantern restaurant in Chapel Hill

serves 6 to 8

2 tablespoons expeller- pressed vegetable oil
3 medium- large yellow onions, thinly sliced (5 cups)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
¼ cup dry white wine
2 pounds (about 4) white sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into ½- inch- thick rounds
½ cup sake
2 tablespoons mirin
½ cup heavy cream
3 tart apples, peeled, quartered, cored, and cut into ½-inch pieces
3 tablespoons sweet white miso

Heat the oil in a heavy 6-quart pot over low heat, and add the onions, ginger, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook slowly until the onions are soft but not browned, 20 minutes or longer. Add the wine and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes, until slightly reduced. Add the sweet potatoes, 5 cups water, and the sake, mirin, cream, and 2 teaspoons salt. Cover and simmer until the sweet potatoes are half- tender, about 6 minutes. Add the apples and cook until both the apples and the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the miso, and puree in batches in a blender, or in the pan using an immersion blender. Adjust to the desired thickness with water, and check the seasoning before serving.