Potato Bacon Soup
November 1st, 2007
The problem with most potato soups, really, is one of texture. Some are watery. Some are gloppy. Most are gritty or grainy. After some experimenting, I’ve developed a potato soup technique that produces a silky, sumptuous soup that’s still plenty hearty. The key is adding your potatoes in two installments. The first gets blended to form the base of the soup and give it body, while the second is added later and cooked until perfectly tender — no more overcooked potatoes. The result is a pleasant contrast in textures — the smooth soup, firm chunks of potato, crisps bacon bits.
Potato Bacon Soup
- 1 lb bacon, diced
- 2 pounds potatoes, mixed Russet and Yukon Gold, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled and cubed
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 quart Vegetable stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
- Heat a skillet and fry the bacon until crispy; fish out the bacon and pour the delicious, delicious bacon fat into your finest soup pot
- Sweat the onion and garlic over medium heat until they just start to pick up some color. At this point your kitchen will smell like bacon and garlic and onions, and you’ll be tempted to stick your head into the pot and begin gorging; resist this temptation.
- Add the peeled potatoes and veggie stock and simmer for 30 minutes
- Using your favorite stick-blender (or food processor, counter-top blender, potato masher, or sharp stick), blend the soup until it’s smooth and creamy. The soup should be smooth and rich but not gloppy or pasty; adjust thickness with more vegetable stock as necessary.
- Add in the unpeeled potatoes and bay leaves and simmer on low until potatoes are fork-tender, about a half hour
- Fish out the bay leaves, check your seasoning (you did remember salt and pepper, didn’t you?), and add the dairy product of your choice
- Serve with aforementioned bacon and chives