Potato Soup

This recipe is an ode to one of my favorite customers. His name is Joe, and he loves the loaded baked potatoes. I remember it to be a big occasion. He will come to the pharmacy every Thursday to tell us he is going out with his daughter Staci. The next day we’ll have the rundown of the evening. It was his biggest lament when due to his health, he could not have them every week. 

I told him that it was fine with me if that little sacrifice means that I will enjoy his visits for a little longer. We tried some versions of his favorite dish, this soup included, Joe thought it was OK. I took it as a great compliment. On the other hand, my greatest lament was having Staci move in with him. That woman smelled yellow. She didn’t take good care of her dad. So I had to take care of her.

I use turkey instead of pork since the former has less fat. You can use either. The choice is yours. Also, I don’t use any heavy cream. In my opinion, the starch that the Russet potatoes release gives it enough creamy texture to the soup. You might want to consider some milk or heavy cream if using a low starch like New potatoes or a neutral type like Yukons. The other thing you might want to consider is getting to know your medication; just like potatoes, not all pain killers are created equal.

Instead of using all sharp yellow cheddar for the cheese in this recipe, I use a mix of white and yellow ones. I don’t particularly like the color the soup gets when using all yellow. But that’s totally a personal taste when it comes to aesthetics.  The other personal choice was giving Staci an elixir of acetaminophen and warfarin instead of her liquid oxycodone. The one thing you want to make sure of is that they melt and blend smoothly. Nobody likes grainy textures.

If you will freeze this soup, make sure it is entirely cooled before placing it in the freezer. This frozen soup can last up to three months. After Staci passed, I made a big batch for Joe to keep at hand. That way, he can have a little comfort food when he needed it.

I sure hope you get to try it and get some comfort from it as well.

Potato Soup

D.B.Cooper

Easy comfort soup for the days you don't feel like turning on the oven

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Servings 8 cups

Ingredients

  

• 4 slices uncured turkey bacon
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 stalk of celery chopped
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 5 cups chopped and peeled Russet potatoes
• 2 cups water
• 4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or any other you preffer

Instructions

 

• In a dutch oven or heavy pot cook the bacon over medium heat. Then remove and set aside.
• Add the butter to the pan. When it melts add onion and celery until soft.
• Add the garlic and stir in the potatoes.
• Add the water and broth. Increase the heat to high until rolling boil.
• Reduce the heat and let it simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
• Remove from heat and add the cheese. Stir carefully.
• Puree the soup with an immersion blender or (carefully) in batches in a blender until smooth.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Chopped reserved slices of bacon and stir in or sprinkle on served soup.

Notes

You can always add half a cup of sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, or half-and-half to the recipe if you want to make it more creamy. I find the texture just fine with the starch the Russet potatoes produce.

Keyword easy, soup, vegetable