Rainy day here and I was craving something hearty yet easy to make. This Oh So Easy Potato soup is a great way to use up leftover potatoes before they grow eyes.
This soup uses milk instead of heavy cream and has a higher ratio of chicken stock to milk (2:1). This produces a creamy potato soup without being over powered by the heavy cream. This helps bring the flavors out from the bacon and spices. Plus it is helpful if you happen to not have heavy cream on hand!
Oh So Easy Potato Soup Tips
- Use a good 6-quart enameled dutch oven or heavy bottom stock pot.
- Peel potatoes and dice into equal sized pieces no larger than 3/4″. Keeping the pieces uniform allows the potatoes to cook evenly since they are all cut to the same size. The smaller the pieces are cut, the faster the soup will cook.
- To make this soup creamy and hearty I recommend pureeing at least half of the soup using an immersion blender, by transferring a portion to a blender and pureeing there or as some have suggested, using a potato masher directly in the pot. Obviously, puree the soup to your desired level of smoothness.
- Puree the soup before adding in the bacon, trust me the bigger bacon chunks are amazing.
- Ancho or chipotle chili powder gives this soup another level of flavor that I love. If you like a little more heat, increase to 1/2 teaspoon.
- The soup is amazing when it first comes off the stove but tastes even better the next day.
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven (6 quart)
- 1 Immersion Blender (optional)
Ingredients
- 6 yukon gold potatoes peeled and diced
- 5 slices of bacon diced
- 3 tablespoons bacon grease (reserved) or butter
- 1 medium white or yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1/3 cup flour
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups milk warmed
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle or ancho chili powder
Optional Toppings
- thinly sliced green onions or chives
- fresh thyme
- shredded cheese
- extra bacon
- sour cream
Instructions
- Heat a large dutch oven or heavy bottom stock pot over medium-high heat. Add diced bacon and cook until crispy, stir occasionally but check often to avoid it burning. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a separate plate. Reserve 3 tablespoons of bacon grease in the pot. If preferred discard all bacon grease and substitute butter in place of the reserved bacon grease.
- Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes until onion is soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the garlic and sauté until the garlic is fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onion and garlic and stir until smooth. Sauté for 1 minute to cook the flour.
- Stir in the stock until combined, followed by the milk, potatoes, salt, pepper, and chipotle powder.
- Bring the mixture to a boil until the potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. Stir the soup often to avoid the bottom burning.
- Reduce heat to simmer and use the immersion blender to puree the soup.
- Add sour cream and bacon pieces, stir well.
- Allow soup to simmer for 15 minutes before serving.
- Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
