A good basic potato soup is creamy and full of flavor.
Potato soup is a quintessential comfort food that is as economical as it is versatile. Once you master a good potato soup, you can create many other types of soup simply by changing the stock or adding combinations of your favorite vegetables, meats and seafood with herbs and spices. Try this potato soup alongside simple foods and bold tastes, such as grilled cheese sandwiches on artisan bread with a vibrant fruit salad on the side.
Instructions
1. Place the bacon in the cold large saucepan. Cook it over medium heat until the bacon no longer sticks to the pan and is easy to turn. Continue cooking and turning until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Set the bacon aside for use in step 4. Turn off the burner, and leave 1 tbsp. of bacon drippings in the saucepan and discard the rest.
2. Peel and mince the onion and garlic cloves. Chop the celery. Heat the remaining bacon drippings in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion and celery until tender, which will take about eight minutes. Add the garlic in the last two minutes, and remove the pan from the heat as you prepare the potatoes.
3. Scrub and peel the potatoes, removing any blemishes with a paring knife. Cut them into a large dice.
4. Add the milk, potatoes and chicken broth to the saucepan, and crumble the bacon into the pan. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for approximately 35 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Let the soup sit for a few minutes to cool slightly.
5. Strain the soup through a fine mesh sieve. Puree the contents of the sieve in a blender. Put the potato puree back in the pot.
6. Bring the soup back to a simmer. Stir in sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve the soup in large bowls. This basic soup is good garnished with cheese or an olive tapenade.
Tags: bacon drippings, Bring soup, large saucepan, medium heat, over medium, over medium heat