Potato Soup for Recipe Friday

It’s still technically summer, but the days are getting cooler, and the nights even more so. Fall is quickly approaching and so I have soup on the brain (and soon in my stomach!)

This Potato Soup recipe is one I adapted from several others in various cookbooks I have. Potato is my favorite soup, especially if it has bacon in it. If you are vegetarian, I suppose you could make this without the bacon, but it won’t be as tasty! With some biscuits or toasted bread on the side, this soup can make a whole meal. But be warned, it is not low-fat or low starch!

Potato Soup

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 cans chicken broth
1 can  water
½ large sweet onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2-3 tbsps corn starch
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp summer savory
½ tsp onion powder
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Combine broth, water, potatoes, salt and pepper in a 4 quart stock pot. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender. Remove ½ of potatoes from broth and reserve. Continue to boil remaining potatoes for a few minutes, then break them up in the broth with a potato masher.

In a small sauce pan, sauté onion, celery, and bacon in olive oil. (Note: I used the pre-cooked microwavable bacon, but regular bacon would work with a bit less olive oil.) Add marjoram, savory, and onion powder. Cook until vegetables are tender and bacon is crisp. Add 2 tbsps corn starch and blend. Add heavy whipping cream and allow to thicken a few minutes, stirring often.

Add creamed mixture to potato and chicken stock, and allow to boil a few minutes. If a thicker soup is desired, mix 1 additional tbsp of corn starch with a small amount of cold water and stir mixture into soup. Return reserved potatoes to soup and stir gently. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with French fried onions and grated cheese on top, if desired.