Oven-Roasted Beet Soup with Watercress

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Place the beets in a shallow baking pan and drizzle with the oil and 1 tablespoon water. Roll the beets to coat with the oil. Season with salt and pepper, cover with aluminum foil, and bake until the beets are tender and can be easily pierced with a fork, 60 to 80 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. When the beets are tender, remove from the oven and let cool. This can be done a day in advance.

In the meantime, pour the oil from the baking pan into a soup pot. Warm the oil over medium heat, add the onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 7 minutes.

When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel and chop them coarsely. Add them to the onions along with the chicken stock and 1 cup water. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes.

In batches, puree the soup in a blender on high speed, 3 minutes per batch, until very smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean soup pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Reserve 1/4 cup of the watercress for a garnish. In the blender, puree half of the watercress with 1 tablespoon crème fraîche until very smooth. Add the remaining watercress and pulse 2 to 3 times. Add lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.