December 11, 2012

Cream of Yukon Gold Potato Soup

Cream of Yukon Gold Potato Soup

I love soup, and have lamented for years that I could not make good soup.  But that is a thing of the past. Over the past couple of months, I have been experimenting in the kitchen, wandering way out of my comfort zone. This has proven to be a very good thing. Well, not all good. Just ask my victims my family. Trial and error, and many failed recipes later, I have  successfully made many soups. And I know they are pretty good when my husband and picky eaters ask for a second bowl. It seems many soups have certain things in common. Basic cooking elements or techniques that make a soup thick, creamy, or thin and light. Using these basics, I have come up with a couple on my own. I thought I’d share this one. It’s a creamy potato soup, using my favorite potato: the Yukon Gold.

yukon Gold soup

You’ll need:

  • 8 -10 Yukon Gold  potatoes
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 2-3 medium carrots
  • 2-3 stalks of celery
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 12 oz package of bacon
  • 4 cups of half and half (whole milk also worked when I tried it)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Garnishes: we used crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese, green onions, and sour cream. I think fresh diced tomatoes would taste great on this as well.
Peel and dice potatoes. You'll need 8 cups worth. After making a few times, I found smaller pieces are better--bite size :)
Peel and dice potatoes. You’ll need 8 cups worth. After making a few times, I found smaller pieces are better–bite size 🙂
Chop celery and onions. Peel and chop carrots. You'll want about 3 cups worth of the 3 combined. I chop the carrots really small, so they are not easily dismissed and pushed aside--I am determined to get them to eat their veggies!
Chop celery and onions. Peel and chop carrots. You’ll want about 2 3/4 cups to 3 cups worth of the 3 combined. I chop the carrots really small, so they are not easily dismissed and pushed aside–I am determined to get them to eat their veggies!

Set these to the side and fry up the bacon in a large pot.

cook all bacon until crisp. Do not drain bacon fat. Once all bacon is done, set bacon on paper towels. This will be the garnish.
cook all bacon until crisp. Do not drain bacon fat. Once all bacon is done, set bacon on paper towels. This will be the garnish.
Add veggies to bacon fat and cook for a few minutes. Onion should be clear and not browned.
Add veggies to bacon fat and cook for a few minutes. Onion should be clear and not browned.
Grab a wire whisk, and whisk in the flour. cook and stir for a couple minutes.
Grab a wire whisk, and whisk in the flour. cook and stir for a few minutes. Flour veggie mixture should be a bit thick.
add the diced potatoes. cook and stir for 4-5 minutes.
add the diced potatoes. cook and stir for 4-5 minutes.
Add broth all at once. Add pepper and salt to taste.
Add broth all at once. Add pepper and salt to taste.

Bring to a low boil. Do this gradually over medium heat. Turn heat down to low and cook for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are done. The potatoes should be soft and easily cut when done.

With a potato ricer, mash about 3-4 cups worth of the potatoes. This gives the soup a thicker and creamier texture.
With a potato ricer, mash about 3-4 cups worth of the potatoes. This gives the soup a thicker and creamier texture. I also was able to mash some of those bigger, non-bite sized pieces of potato this way.

Stir until all mashed potatoes are incorporated. Warm half and half in microwave slightly.  Slowly add half and half (or milk) while stirring. Allow soup to simmer for about 5-10 more minutes on low.  Serve with whatever garnishes each person likes.

yukon Gold soup

We served it with this home made bread:

recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Along with my soup experiments, I have been on a bread making exploration. Who knew I could do all these things? We had no left overs the night this dinner was served 🙂

As a side note, this soup recipe is most certainly not the healthiest in the world. I am still working on ways to cut it down. Vegetable oil could certainly be substituted for bacon fat  and use turkey bacon for garnish. When we tried 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil in place of bacon fat, it did not taste nearly as good. So maybe it’s a once in a while treat?

Enjoy!

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