Potato Soup

Submitted by Lorri Nichols

"This is a thick, creamy soup that uses NO heavy cream. I have been losing weight and did not want to add the calories of heavy cream today, so I modified my already simple soup - this is my recipe, create in 2007. Since the kids are not counting calories, I topped this with a dab of sour cream and sprinkled the top with some extra shredded cheese, both kinds, and some of the crispy fried bacon... I topped mine with some fresh chopped chives... I serve it with crusty garlic bread but maybe you'd like bacon sandwiches or grilled cheese."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 15mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Yields: 8 Cups
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 5 boiled potatoes, season the boiling water with chicken boullion and garlic powder, approx 3 tablespoons boullion and
• 1 medium onion, not a sweet one, chop it pretty fine, but you do not want to process it cause you don't want it to b
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon
• 1 lb bacon, but you are only going to use 2 inches off of each end
• 1⁄2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon thyme, I like the dried for this
• 1 teaspoon parsley flakes, again I like the dried in this
• 1⁄4 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon bacon grease
• 1 -2 tablespoon butter
• 3⁄4 cup monterey jack pepper cheese, finely shredded
• 1⁄2 cup medium shredded cheddar cheese (get the white if you can find it)
• 2 cups milk, and additional milk to thin it out

directions

1. I always use extra potatoes from the night before for this, I just boil twice as many as I need for mashed potatoes and then just save the cut potato in the cooking water in the fridge, but you may not do this, so we will start from scratch - peel and cut the 5 large potatoes and put about 3 quarts of water in the pot with them, season this water with 1 T garlic powder and 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon, let them cook down until about 3/4 of the water is gone, now pull them off the heat and just give them a mash or 3 - this soup is chunky, but if you like it creamed you could do it later.
2. Preheat a heavy bottom skillet (about 3 to 4 inches deep) get your package of bacon first, cut strips off of both ends, approx and 1/8th of an inch thick, you want to take about 2 inches off each end this way, if your going to use it as a topper do the whole package - you really want the fatty ends for this - don't worry too much about separating them, they are going to separate easily in the pan - we like them in the short strips but if you want them diced go ahead - fry the bacon just until it's soft, now scoot it to one side of the pan and add in your finely died onion, cook it in the bacon grease until it is soft, now scoot the bacon back in the grease and cook it about a minute more. Now scoop the bacon and onion out and just add it to the potato pot, if you using some for topping put it to the side on a paper towel, pour the grease out and just add back 1 tablespoon into the pan and add in 1 to 2 tablespoons butter - let the butter melt and then sprinkle the flour into the grease, were going to still it til it just gets brown - keep stirring it, add add in your milk, not all at once, just about 1 cup first them 1/2 cup at a time after that, stirring it constantly at this point, we want it to look like a thin gravy, when it is like a thin gravy add in your shredded cheeses, stir it constantly until the cheese has melted - this is a true cheese sauce, you could use it for mac and cheese also, or add some salsa and use it as nacho dip - but for this recipe we are going to add it to the pot with the potatoes - it will be too thick, so we are going to cut it with some milk - this is where you taste it, add in your salt to taste, start with a teaspoon (because that bouillon is salty) and add a little bit more til you have the salt right - now season it with you thyme, celery salt and parsley - never bring this back up to a boil, it can simmer on low, but that it's it. If it gets too thick just thin it with more milk -- This is not a highly seasoned soup, but the pepper jack cheese gives it a bite and the bacon is very flavorful.
3. If you have leftovers, or are just making it for 1 or 2 people you can freeze the leftovers - when you want to eat it, let it come to a complete thaw then warm it over low heat thinning it with milk, I also like to add some chopped broccoli to it the second time around., just a handful is usually enough -- But squeeze the liquid out.