Celeriac Apple Potato Soup

Ingredients
1 celeriac root (peeled and chopped)
2 medium sized Idaho potatoes (peeled and chopped)
1 large apple (peeled and chopped)
1/2 onion, diced (leftover from my chicken pho the other day)
1 Qt chicken broth
1 T butter
1 T oil
1/2 tsp dried Thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Blending
Saute onions in butter and oil under medium heat for a few minutes until browned and translucent. Add the celeriac and potatoes. Saute for about 8-10 minutes until they are cooked. Add broth and apples. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes. Blend with an immersion blender or, if using a blender, blend in batches in the blender. Garnish with toppings of your choice and serve!


Garnishes
You can cook some bacon, pancetta, or proscuitto in a pan and crumble a small amount on top of the soup. Another variation by Gordon Ramsey adds a splash of lemon for tartness and crumbled stilton.  You can also consider chopped chives, croutons, or blue cheese.  There's really a lot of room for creativity here. You can easily make this soup vegan by omitting the butter and the bacon. You can also thicken it up by adding a bit of heavy cream to the soup.

Experiment, and enjoy!