I like to make this potato soup, not too time consuming or difficult, and very good through the week. This recipe makes enough for my wife and I to have dinner and at least 3 meals of leftovers each during the week.
Bacon - maybe half a pound, diced or cut into small pieces
Celery - 2 stalks finely chopped
Onion - 1 good sized yellow or white, finely chopped
Garlic - however much you fancy, but 2 or 3 cloves are fine, finely chopped
Potatoes - 8 +/- white potatoes (not Idaho/russet!) diced into bite sized pieces
Chicken Stock - Enough to cover the potatoes. One carton (4 cups) usually suffices.
And for the creamy stuff:
Butter - A few tablespoons
Flour - 1/4 cup
Cream - 1 cup
Seasoning - I like rosemary, parsley, and marjoram. Rosemary or tarragon are good too. Salt and pepper of course. Whatever you like.
In your stock pot, render the bacon down over low/medium heat. Remove the bacon and save for later. Cook the celery and onion in the bacon fat until they begin to turn translucent. Add in the garlic for a minute, then add the potatoes and toss them in the bacon fat. Let them cook just a few moments to begin to absorb the flavor. Then add in the stock and simmer until the potatoes are done.
Pan 2 - melt the butter, whisk in the flower and stir for a few minutes. Whisk in the cream and seasonings and bring to a boil. Stir constantly.
Once the cream mixture is done and the potatoes are ready, mix the cream into the soup. Stir to mix. Then remove at least half (more like 2/3 or 3/4) of the potatoes and blend the remaining soup with a stick blender. This makes the soup thicker and creamier. Return the potatoes to the soup, and life is good.
Serve it up, crumble the bacon pieces over the top, maybe add some green onions or cheddar cheese, and be happy.
