Potato Soup
Today I give you: Potato Soup (at least) two ways. We found two similar potato soup recipes in one of Gramma’s recipe boxes. These newspaper clippings are likely from the 70s as most other clippings in this particular recipe box (if they are dated) are from the 1970s.
It’s ‘soup season’ right now and these recipes are so similar to each other and so close to what I like to make at home that this just seems like a good opportunity to talk about potato soup!
When you are learning to make soup, I think it’s important to know if you like a hearty soup (with larger vegetables and maybe less broth) or if you like a smooth and more runny soup (in which case you might use very small chopped veggies and you may even blend all of your soup before eating). I think any recipe can be adjusted to suit your soup preferences but I know that I like a hearty soup so we are proceeding with these methods as is.
Potato Soup Recipe 1 (“Sally”)
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in large saucepan. Add 1 small onion, chopped and cook until golden. Stir in 3 large potatoes (peeled and diced) and 2 tablespoons of minced green pepper. Add 2 cups of chicken broth, 1/2 teaspoon of salt: bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 35 minutes until potatoes are tender. Stir in 2 cups of milk and 6 frankfurters (cut in 1/4 inch slices). Simmer 3 to 5 minutes more. Spoon shredded cheddar over individual portions.
Potato Soup Recipe 2 (“Bette Krantz”)
Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in large saucepan and sauté (1/2 cup of finely chopped onions) until tender - about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup finely chopped carrots, 1 cup finely chopped celery, 3 cups cubed potatoes, 2 tablespoons snipped parsley, 10 1/2 oz chicken broth, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper. Cover and simmer until all the vegetables are tender - about 20 minutes. Reduce heat. Add 3 1/2 cups milk. Heat the soup until the milk is scalded only. (It should not boil). Blend 1/4 cup of flour with 1/2 cup milk and add it, stirring constantly, into soup. Cook until soup is bubbly and slightly thickened.
Both soups end up with a creamy broth. One will be a little thicker in the end than the other because of the addition of flour. Both include additional vegetables but I’d say the second one is more robust in the veggie department and the way that I typically start my soups - butter + onion, then celery, carrots, broth and whatever else is going in…
So here’s what I did:
We had bacon in the fridge so I pan fried my bacon to add to the soup instead of frankfurters or hot dogs - this would also be my preference if given an option. Bacon is delish. I sautéed my chopped onions in some butter and transferred them to a larger pot.
I then added my garden grown potatoes and had some frozen corn that needed a home so I added it. You’ll notice that I did not skin my potatoes - that is a personal preference. I like the skins of most potatoes and there’s lots of good nutrients there so I like to keep them when I can.
I used chicken bullion cubes to make my broth - I will often just add water but adding broth instead really makes for a more flavorful soup. I didn’t add extra salt (with a diverse range of taste buds in the house I opt for “salt it yourself” if you need extra - the broth and bacon were going to make it salty enough for me).
When my potatoes were tender, I added in the “milk” - I added in nut milk because that works better for my family. I added in a little thickener in the form of xanthan gum - flour works great if you have it but there are options if you want to thicken without it…
We also have an abundance of kale in our fall/winter garden so I picked, washed and chopped some up. I pretty much filled up the rest of the pot because I knew it would cook down.
I let this sit in reduced heat. The steam from the soup cooked the kale down nicely in about 5 minutes. Then I crumbled the crispy bacon over the top!