Comfort Food {Potato Soup}

So I have made a fair amount of soup from scratch - some excellent, some... well, I won't make again. One of the soups that I tried is one I will keep and make for years to come. I found a recipe for a baked potato soup, and completely adjusted it, so in all honesty it is really my own now. It is so good I had to share it. Try it once... you will be hooked, I know it.

Ingredients:
{1} medium onion, chopped
{1-2} leeks, chopped
{2) shallots, finely chopped
{2} cloves of garlic, crushed
{3} Tbl. all purpose flour
{6-8} bacon strips, cooked and chopped
{3 Tbl} leftover bacon drippings
{1} tsp. salt
{1} tsp. dried basil
{1/2} tsp. pepper (I used white pepper)
{6} cups chicken broth
{8-10} medium sized Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
{1} cup half & half
{1) tsp. hot pepper sauce (like Tapatillo or Tabasco)
shredded cheddar cheese (for garnish)


Directions: In a large stockpot, saute the onion, shallots, garlic and leeks in the bacon drippings until tender. Stir in the flour, then the salt, basil and pepper; mix well. Gradually add the broth, and bring to a boil, stirring at a boil for about 2 minutes. Add in all the cubed potatoes, chopped bacon, cream, and hot pepper sauce. Simmer for a good 45 minutes to an hour, covered. If it looks like you need a little more broth, add a bit more, it definitely will hurt! Plate and garnish with your shedded cheddar.

Bench Notes: When the potatoes were good and tender, I took a potato masher and pushed down on all the potatoes in the soup, until about half of them were a bit broken up. I like my potato soup to be more on the thick side, with some good substance in the broth. You can also take a stick blender to it, to break the potatoes up a bit, if you have one. I like the texture of this much better than chunks of potatoes in really thin broth.

Also, don't let the idea of cooking with bacon drippings scare you. It REALLY enhances the flavor overall, and should not be missed. The dried basil is a key ingredient in this, so are the Yukon gold potatoes. Yukon golds are one of, if not the most creamy potatoes you can buy. Any other potato would not have the smooth creamy potato texture that you should get out of this soup. Russets are very grainy, you definitely should skip out on those.

And as with most soups, this one really tastes even better the next day. You could totally make this the day before serving it and just heat it back up in a pot. Paired with a baguette - and maybe a little salad, and you have a wonderful meal!


I hope you enjoy! We sure did.