Potato Soup
“There ain't a body, be it mouse or man, that ain't made better by a little soup.”
I wholeheartedly agree with these words from The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. Well, I guess I don’t know for sure if it is true about mice, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t be. Soup is the greatest of comfort foods. Even more comforting than ice cream or chocolate. It is warm, filling, and deeply satisfying.
I even find the process of making soup to be satisfying. Especially when there is no rush. When it can be ready when it is ready. When I have time to turn on some music and relax into the chopping and simmering and melding of flavors. And if it happens to be a creamy soup that requires a roux-which most of my favorite soups do-well, now we’ve really entered the world of culinary magic. What else would you call the process by which an unappetizing paste of melted butter and flour becomes a rich, creamy base for a delicious soup? Magic, I’m telling ya.
This potato soup is one of my kids’ favorites. Over the years I continued to tweak and experiment with different versions of potato soup, and we have finally landed on this one as “the best.” It is full of rich and creamy dairy goodness (not a good option for the lactose intolerant!), calls for basic ingredients in nice round amounts, and lets simple flavors shine. All things a good soup should be.
Note that this recipe fills a good sized pot. Even if your family isn’t as big as ours, I say make the full recipe anyway. Then share. Invite a friend over for a bowl or take a container to a neighbor. It is an easy way to add comfort and warmth to someone’s day. Because remember, “there ain't a body, be it mouse or man, that ain't made better by a little soup.”
Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of butter
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 8 cups of chicken broth
- 2 yellow onions, diced
- 10 oz of bacon, diced
- 5 lbs of russet potatoes, diced
- 1 8 oz block of cream cheese
- 1-2 cups of milk
- 2-3 tsps of salt, to taste
- 1-2 tsps of pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large stock pot.
- Add the flour and whisk to combine.
- Cook and continue to whisk the thick paste for a minute or two and then slowly add the 8 cups of broth, whisking constantly. Set the temperature to medium high heat and bring to a low boil. This will take ten minutes or so.
- While the broth is coming to boil, fry the onions and bacon in a frying pan with a bit of oil. Cook until bacon is crisp and onions are caramelized. This is also a good time to dice the potatoes.
- When the broth comes to a boil add the potatoes and let them cook for 10 minutes or so until they are fork tender.
- When the potatoes are tender, put a cup or two of the soup in a blender along with the cream cheese. Blend until the cheese is full incorporated. Add the cream cheese mixture back to the pot and stir it into the soup.
- Add 1 or 2 cups of milk until you achieve the desired consistency.
- Stir in the bacon/onion mixture.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- We like it thick and chunky, but if it is thicker than you would like, add more milk or water.
