Wild Greens and Potato Soup

From the garden

• 6 cups nettles, lambs-quarters, or other wild cooking greens, washed, tough stems removed
• 1½ lb potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

From the pantry

• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 3 tbsp olive oil — plus more for drizzling
• ½ cup heavy cream (optional) — for a richer finish
• salt — to taste
• black pepper

1. If using stinging nettles, handle them with gloves or tongs: drop them into a pot of boiling salted water and blanch 2 minutes — this neutralizes the sting completely and they're safe to touch and eat from here on. Drain, squeeze, and roughly chop. Nettles must never be eaten raw. Other wild greens just need a rough chop.
2. Warm the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Cook the onion with a pinch of salt 5–6 minutes until soft and translucent, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Add the potatoes and stock, bring to a simmer, and cook 15 minutes or until a cube of potato mashes easily against the side of the pot.
4. Stir in the greens and simmer 5 minutes more until fully tender and deep green. Blend about half the soup (an immersion blender right in the pot is easiest) so it turns velvety but still has some texture.
5. Season well with salt and pepper — green soups need more salt than you think. Stir in the cream if using, and serve with a drizzle of olive oil on top.