Mom's Potato Soup

 

On cold weather days, Mom sometimes made a simple potato soup. It was such a nice comfort and really hit the spot. She liked good flavor in hers, so she used things like cheese, heavy cream, sour cream and bacon. Really makes it taste more like a full meal, not just a first course, and we certainly ate it that way. It was very satisfying. You can also use turkey bacon. Don't skimp on the cream, either. At the very least, use half-and-half (we only used milk when we had absolutely no other choice, which you can do, but it won't be as rich). The cream is what will really makes this soup a food of the gods! 

Mom's Potato Soup

Ingredients:

6 slices thin bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoons butter

1 whole medium onion, diced

1 small bulb garlic, cut in half horizontally (optional, you can peel and dice it too, its still great!)

6 whole russet potatoes, peeled and diced

8 to 10 cups chicken or vegetable stock

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley 

1 cup grated cheese (any kind you like)

Sour cream and/or green onion for garnish

   

Directions:

1.       Add bacon pieces to a soup pot over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp.  There should be plenty of bacon fat in the bottom of the pan to work with.  Remove the bacon from the pot and set it aside. 

2.      Keep the pot on medium heat and melt in the butter. Then add the onions (and garlic bulb halves, face down, if using). Again, you can also peel and dice the garlic if you prefer. Stir and cook until the onions begin to turn clear. Flip the garlic bulb halves at least once halfway through to cook evenly. remove garlic bulb halves from pot and transfer to a plate to cool. Add the diced potatoes to pot. Cook for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper. Carefully squeeze all the garlic cloves out of the garlic bulb halves and add them to the pot. Discard the bulb skins (skip these steps if you peeled and diced in the beginning). 

3.       Pour in the stock and bring it to a gentle boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are starting to get tender. Whisk together the flour and the milk, then pour into the soup immediately and allow the soup to cook for another 5 minutes. Stir while you add the flour/milk mixture, and frequently while cooking, to prevent clumping.  

4.       L Use a hand masher or an immersion blender to mash up about half of the potatoes. Stir and taste for seasonings, adding more if needed. Stir in cream and parsley, reserving a little bit of parsley for garnish.

5.       Serve in bowls garnished with parsley, grated cheese, crisp bacon pieces, and/or chopped green onion.  Add a spoon full of sour cream, if you like.