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Friday, February 24, 2012

FW Creamy Potato Soup!

As most of us know, the lenten season is upon us. And, today was a windy blah day. I mentioned dinner ideas to hubby, to which fried fish was a great hit with him. But not so much me. I had a longing for hot, creamy, chunky potato soup. And to my joy, hubby agreed to eat some if I made it! [He and FJ aren't really soup eaters.]


<------ Now that's what I'm talking about!

After posting this pic on FB I had a few comments to share the recipe. The cool thing is, you really can't mess up creamy potato soup.

But here is what I did:

Step 1: Long day, pour a glass of wine. :-P [Just kidding, you can skip that step if ya' want]

I use a favorite soup/chili cooking porcelain pot. Love it.

Ingredients (and this can vary):


  • 4-5 large potatoes (depending on how much soup you are making)
  • 2 -3 cups reclaimed chicken broth (I always save the chicken broth from whenever I boil a chicken etc. The best flavor - you can use canned broth though, or water and Knorr bouillon cubes instead)
  • Veggies: some people like celery or carrot slices etc. My kids won't touch those in a soup UNLESS they can't taste them or see them. I tend to keep small containers of pre-minced or purried veggies for quick meals. I used about 4 oz minced carrots and about 4 oz of pureed yellow squash - these also help thicken your soup broth as they break down into the soup.
  • Fresh diced onion (1/3 a large purple onion)
  • Fresh pressed garlic (2-3 cloves)
  • 2 Knorr chicken boullion cubes
  • Milk or half and half (some use whole milk, 2 % is healthier but I had half and half on hand and it was wonderful - not heart healthy) :-P
  • Black Pepper; Paprika


Process:

Place the frozen chicken broth in soup pot along with, a cup of water and the frozen minced/puried veggies. Then crumble two Knorr chicken bouillon cubes into the veggie broth mix. Add the onions and garlic, and some black pepper, and let that simmer while peeling and cubing potatoes.

Potatoes:
Peel and cubed four potatoes. I peel and finely dice the fifth potato. The diced potato cooks more quickly and disintegrates thus thickening the soup stock. After everything is bubbling nicely and the veggies are boiling well into the broth add a couple more cups of water. Don't fill the pot, because you still have to add your potatoes.

Slowly add potatoes. I add them in phases, otherwise as the flavors melt the potato cubes will become too soft and the soup won't have any 'potato chunks'. :-)

Again as half the potatoes are simmering and becoming soft they will also thicken your stock. Scoop out about half a cup of the potato broth and add about three tablespoons of half and half or milk; then with a fork whisk in two tablespoons of flour until the consistency of gravy. Make sure all flour is thoroughly mixed in. Then pour this into your actual potato soup. Stir gently; almost folding. You don't want to break down your softer potatoes.

Add more black pepper as needed (you won't need salt due to the Knorrs bouillon cubes); add in some paprika if desired.

You can repeat this as necessary until you get the creamy thickness you desire and prefer. If you are still wanting more creaminess add some more half and half or milk into the soup. Let it continue on a very low simmer or turn off for awhile to let the heat set the potatoes (my range top has a simmer setting that turns the heat off for a few minutes and then reheats for a short time - it cycles which is awesome) :-D

You can play with this anyway you want. Just remember to portion your potatoes so the flavor is infused but you still have chunks of potatoes. And, you can make it as thick or broth as you like. Just play around with it and make it your own.

TWIST: It is lent so we aren't supposed to eat meat; as in a full meal. But, for GREAT creamy potato soup it is nice to add in cooked crumbled bacon along with the potatoes.  Or, as I did. I minced some left over venison sausage for flavor and added that in. Just a couple tablespoons. It cooked down into nothing but added that extra awesomeness of flavor.

Again, play around with it and make it work for you! Also, serve hot in a mug or stew bowl and you can top with grated mixed cheeses - though it totally doesn't need it. :-D

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