So here’s the deal! We here at the Jones’ Homestead, love a good old bowl of soup, and fundraisers! So when peak of the market school fundraiser comes around, we get well stocked. The issue always comes up….we have TOOOO MANY POTATOES! What can we do!?
Automatically, I think SOUP! Who better to make a soup, than my husband! He is one of the best soup makers I know! I asked him if he could make a potato soup, and he got all excited – of course he could, especially with that nicely smoked bacon in the freezer!
Although he just throws things together, and always ends up delicious, I asked him this time to try and remember what he did, so that I could share this delicious and quick recipe with you guys!
I hope you try it out, and let me know (honestly) what you think!
Here you go:
Ingredients:
3 lbs potatoes, cubed to spoon size5 garlic cloves, smashed and diced1 large onion, diced3 celery stalks, diced1/4 bell pepper, diced500g smokey bacon2 26oz cans Cheese Soup2 TB white flour2c chicken stock2c potato water1c beer1c milk2 TB dried chives or parsley2 TB butterThe mess:1. Fry the bacon in a frying pan to a crispy, but not burnt texture. Set bacon on paper towels, newspaper, or something to absorb the grease. Save the bacon grease and scrapings from the frying pan.2. Boil the potatoes in salted water until they’re “Al Dente” (mashable, but not so mashable that they’re falling apart in the water). Do as they do in the East, and save your potato water.2. That bacon goo you saved? Put it into the bottom of a dutch oven or soup stock pot. Something big enough to hold a good 3-4 litres of soup, because that’s what you’re going to end up with. Heat the fat back up again. Fry the onions, celery and pepper on the stove at about a #6 setting (just above medium) until everything’s gone from translucent to a little bit golden-browney.3. Dependent on how much bacon grease you were able to preserve and how much is left over after frying your veggies, you’ll want about 1-2TB of grease on the bottom of your pan. If you need more grease, use whatever oily substance you have on hand in your kitchen. Except flavored oil. Most of that stuff’s nasty. Once you’re pretty certain the bottom of your pot’s greasy enough, sprinkle your 2TB of flour over everything and cook for about another 30-45 seconds. This is your roux, or soup thickening agent.4. Pour the chicken stock into the pot, and stir it up. It should be like a pretty thick gravy. Now throw in the potato water! and the beer! and the cans of cheese soup! Bring that bad boy to a rolling boil!! (again, stove’s at about a #6 setting).5. Add the “Al-dente” potatoes to the pot. Chop up 3/4 of your crispy bacon, and you might as well throw that into the pot too. Drop the stove heat down to about a 2 or 3 (low-medium). Add the milk. Cover the pot for about… 30 minutes for the bacon flavor to meld and the potatoes starch to mix in with the soup a little more.6. Take a potato masher, and mash this all up. Don’t worry about mashing up all the chunky bits of potato. Chunky’s good. Once you’re satisfied with your soup texture, schlop 2TB of butter and sprinkle 2TB of parsley/chives, and this soup’s be ready for a serving.7. Garnish with the remaining 1/4 of bacon and serve with freshly sliced bread n’ butter.For more Recipes, Reviews, Giveaways & Local Events/News, keep checking this Winnipeg Blog!