Spicy Sweet Potato Soup with Sausage

I ended up making this soup tonight instead of the gnocchi I had planned. I had great plans to grill Italian sausage and vegetables this weekend, but it rained for four days straight, so I needed a way to use them up. This was a great find! I ate the leftovers without sausage, and it was just as good.

The recipe is adapted from Rachael Ray. She uses bacon, which I'm sure would also be great.

Note: I always have chipotle peppers in the freezer - when I buy a can, I freeze individual peppers with adobo sauce in ice cube trays, then transfer them to a ziploc bag. Otherwise, I'd end up wasting most of the can since most recipes only call for 1-2.

Ingredients:

4 sweet potatoes (2½ pounds), peeled and sliced 1 inch thick
Salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 links Italian sausage, casings removed
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, shredded
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon thyme
One 32-ounce container chicken broth
1 teaspoon grated peel and juice of 1 orange
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Honey or maple syrup, for drizzling
Pepper
1 cup sour cream, for passing around the table

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, add the sweet potatoes and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, salt the water and cook until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, in a medium pot, heat the oil. Add the sausage and crumble. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Discard all but 2 tablespoons fat. Add the onion, carrot, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, and thyme and cook until the onions are softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, orange peel, orange juice and cinnamon; drizzle with honey/maple syrup and season with salt and pepper.

3. Add the broth mixture to the sweet potatoes in the pot and puree with an immersion blender (alternatively, puree in batches in a blender or food processor). Serve the soup with the sour cream and sausage on top.