Since the half marathon, I’ve taken a couple weeks to laze about and bask in sloth-like behavior. Having spent more than 11,000 days with myself, I well know that if I do not have a fitness goal looming over my head, I’m going to relax and indulge just about every night possible. Knowing this love affair can’t last forever, I’ve been making the most of my health conscious hiatus. Now, with the cool weather blowing my way, I have morphed from a gourmet salad lover to an ever-slurping soup fanatic. So what has been on the menu lately? There was a little bit of chicken and bacon chili going on, but the bacon saturated glory award goes to the holy grail spilling over with potato soup. Now, hold onto something while I lay it on you.
Growing up, it was not uncommon to find a small glass bowl near the stove with a mysterious gelatinous textured substance inside. As a teenager, I came to understand this as grease that was left over after the bacon was removed from the breakfast skillet. Adhering to a common Southern Ohio cooking style, my mom would keep the grease around to give the next meal or two a roundhouse kick of bacon flavored heaven. It seems to have taken me a good 30 years to come to grips with my culinary roots, and include just a dab of delicious cholesterol to my cooking on occasion. In fact, using the grease immediately after the bacon is removed from the skillet to simmer eggs or veggies is even better. That said, on with the potato soup recipe…
Just as any fine meal begins, we start the potato soup recipe with simmering bacon. As you can see, I’ve chopped it up first so it cooks quickly. Why cook the bacon first if it is just a topping before consumption? Well, if you would have been paying attention, you’d figure out that we are going to use this sweet bacon nectar to cook EVERYTHING ELSE!!! Ahem, moving along.
Can you smell the sin?
As the bacon is making the kitchen, and ultimately the entire place smell wonderful, I get to chopping. Onions, carrots, and celery make up the aromatic trifecta dubbed by the French as “mirepoix” (meer-uh-pwah, for you ‘Mericans). As is the occasion in soups and stews, bacon or ham commonly makes this threesome a quartet. Along with the mirepoix, I chop my red potatoes (no need to peel these), parsley, and gather the rest of my ingredients.
Missing from photo: white wine, butter, rosemary, cajun seasoning, and simmering bacon
Then, I remove the crispy bacon pieces from the pan and set aside for later. Meanwhile, I leave the grease in the pan and add the mirepoix into the sizzling swimming pool of bliss. I let it simmer for about five minutes on its own before I add the diced potatoes.
While the mirepoix and potatoes are simmering, I add a decent amount of salt, because it makes potatoes happy. I then add about six cups of chicken broth. After about ten or so minutes on medium-high heat, the potatoes soften (you can test with a fork) and I give it an unexpected KERPOW with a splash of wine. So first comes love (bacon) then comes marriage (mirepoix+potatoes+chicken broth) then comes the baby in the baby carriage? I’m just trying to say that it’s important to thicken the soup next – forget that stupid nursery rhyme. It’s outdated anyway.
Thickening culprits (milk and flour)
In a bowl, I whisk together a cup of milk, and a few tablespoons of flour. Pour the mixture into the pot with everything else and stir it in. Everything is getting happy on medium heat at this point, and when you think it can’t get any better, it does! How is this even possible? We bring in the big guns with a quarter cup of cream and a couple pats of butter (this is a calorie-free meal, in case you were wondering). I continue to season with fresh rosemary, chopped parsley, cajun sesasoning, salt, and pepper to my liking. But wait, there’s more! At the very end, I add a half cup of shredded monterrey jack cheese and a half cup of shredded sharp cheddar. Let it get melty (that’s a technical term) and happy (that’s a pre-school emotion) for 5-10 more minutes on low or until I can’t wait any longer. Now it’s time to top with fresh cracked pepper, chopped green onions, bacon pieces from earlier, and more parsley. I love parsley, thanks to my dear Grandma Bert.
Voila! Dinner is served (for four nights in a row)
There it is, folks. Bask in the glory that bacon made. Now, if you want the ingredients, check ’em out below:
- 6 slices bacon, cut into pieces
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 10-15 baby carrots, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 3 green onions, chopped (for garnish)
- 13-15 redskin potatoes, diced
- 6 cups organic chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup white wine (I used Sauv Blanc, but any dry would work)
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup half and half
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon cajun seasoning
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (for seasoning and garnish)
- 1/2 cup shredded monterrey jack
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
Kudos to one of my fave food bloggers, The Pioneer Woman, for the basis of this recipe.
Will Paint for Food 