“Loaded” Potato Soup
A bitter-cold day needs a comforting soup that warms you up from within, a velvety meal that looks richer than it really is. I am late to the party on the soup train; I am only now catching up to it. I’ve heard for years that eating soup every day is better for the waistline and healthier…I am not sure why I resisted; however, I plan on making up for time lost.
I prefer to have the soup as the main meal, not as a starter and I gravitate towards soups that can satisfy that. Don’t panic at the sight of the ingredients. We will use the rich elements sparingly; the only “heavy hitter” here is the bacon and you can certainly use much less than I did here (I only wanted to finish the piece of bacon I bought for Christmas). The cheese flavor comes from parmesan rinds; As I use up the cheese, I save the rinds in a bag and freeze them. Whenever I make soup I bring a rind or two out and simmer them in the broth – it lends rich, umami flavor without any guilt. It’s a trick that also works with ragus or sauces.
“Loaded” Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 3lbs potatoes, peeled and diced
- 4-5 oz. of slab bacon – use it sparingly, for flavor
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 4-5 cups chicken broth (I used a whole 32oz. container)
- 1 small bunch of thyme, tied off with string for easier removal later
- 2 parmesan rinds
- 4 prosciutto slices (used for decoration – you can skip it)
- 2 oz. of shredded Gruyere cheese for topping
- 2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
- Salt & pepper
Directions
- Despite the initial impression that this is a very rich soup, there is no cheese, butter or cream in the soup (we only use a little cheese for the topping, which you can skip, if you prefer). The flavor of the soup comes from the bacon and the parmesan rind.
- Sauté the bacon in a Dutch oven or any large pot; I start with a cold pan to slowly melt the fat and crisp up the bacon. Remove the bacon and most of the fat from the pot.
- Add the onion, celery, thyme, salt and pepper to the pot. Sauté over medium heat until veggies are soft, stirring often. It should take about 10-12 min.
- Add the chicken broth, the parmesan rind and the diced potatoes to the pot; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 20-25 min.
- While the soup is simmering, in a small frying pan, add some vegetable oil. When hot, slowly lower slices of prosciutto, one after the other (don’t crowed the pan); you want them to get crisp, without burning them.
- Uncover the soup, remove the parmesan rinds and the the thyme bunch from the soup. Use a hand blender to blend the soup until creamy. Don’t over blend; if you go overboard, the soup may get gummy instead of creamy.
- Serve with the leftover bacon, the prosciutto crisp, scallions and the Gruyere cheese.
All photos are the work of my very talented, professional photographer husband, Dariusz Terepka.