In the kitchen with SAME Cafe chef Brad Birky: Potato and arugula soup

In this week's Q & A with Brad Birky of the SAME Cafe, the chef weighed in on Denver's meals on wheels movement, the fried plantains and homemade corn nuts he recently discovered at Pisco Sour and how his pay-what-you-can cafe has become a successful role model for similar concepts across the country. Today, Birky shares a potato and arugula soup recipe that he serves at SAME. "This is a great way to utilize those fresh garden vegetables," he says. "I like to top the soup with a healthy portion of Parmesan or Gruyere cheese and serve it alongside a chunk of crusty bread.

Potato and Arugula Soup
Serves 8-10

5 pounds new potatoes, peeled and diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 small white onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 pound arugula greens, rinsed & torn
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons good olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Toss potatoes, carrots, celery, white onion and garlic in olive oil and roast on a sheet pan in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables just start to brown.
3. Meanwhile, heat stock to simmering in large soup pot. Remove the vegetables from the oven oven and add directly into soup pot.
4. Add torn arugula leaves to soup and season with cayenne, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Serve immediately.