Potatoe Soup

By mikeimmell

This is one of my go to down home comfort food recipes. This recipe also can be prepared in your slow cooker crock pot. Serve with bread sticks or your favorite crackers. I prepare this many times when I am serving a soup, salad, and sandwich supper meal. Enjoy !! :)

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon or **1 cup of cooked diced ham, optional substitute
• 4 tbsp melted butter to be used only if using the cooked diced ham
• 1 small sweet onion, diced
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
• 6 cups chicken stock ( I use my own home canned chicken stock but any store bought boxed chicken stock will do )
• 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and diced (approximately 9 - 10 Medium sized potatoes)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
• 2 pinches of poultry seasoning (optional)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream (Note: if you don't have heavy cream you can substitute canned evaporated milk, which is my preferred choice, or you may also substitute butter milk, my 2nd choice, or even whole milk, my 3rd choice)
• 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream or 1 cup of bottled prepared Hidden Valley
• Ranch Dressing
• 3/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese or 3/4 shredded motazrella cheese
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• additional cheeses, green onion, crumbled sour cream N onion potatoe chips, or chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Details

Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 5mins
Adapted from southernkitchen.com

Preparation

Step 1

STOVE TOP DIRECTIONS:


1. Cook bacon (or the cubed ham) in a Dutch oven until crisp. Remove bacon and crumble. Remember if using the ham, brown the ham in the melted butter first and then remove it and set aside. Use the butter that you browned the ham in to complete the dish instead of the bacon drippings.


2. Cook diced sweet onion in bacon drippings (or the butter used to brown the ham) for 1 minute. Add green onions, chopped celery, and shredded carrots and cook 1 more minute.


3. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.


4. Gradually add chicken stock, whisking constantly.


5. Add potatoes, salt, pepper, and the optional ingredients of garlic powder, and poultry seasoning if you are using those. [** Note: if you are using your slow cooker - crock pot, then skip to the slow cooker - crock pot directions below.] Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. [**Note: If you like a more creamy potatoe soup, at this point, take your electric hand mixer or an immulsion blender and blend the soup until its smooth and creamy.]


6. Stir in cream, (or whichever of the 3 other substitutes you chose as a substitute for the heavy cream) and sour cream. Add cheeses and stir until melted. Remove from heat. At this point if you think its too thick, then simply thin it down with additional milk or chicken stock until it reaches the consistency you prefer.


7. Ladle into bowls and top with crumbled bacon or the browned ham, cheese, sliced green onions, or chopped fresh parsley.

SLOW COOKER - CROCK POT DIRECTIONS:

Follow steps 1 - 4 above. Now pour the ingredients from your dutch oven into your crock pot and add the potatoes, salt, pepper, and optional garlic powder and poultry seasoning, and cook on low for 4 - 6 hours until potatoes are soft. [**Note: Remember, if you like a more creamy potatoe soup, at this point, take your electric hand mixer or a hand immulsion ]blender and blend the soup until its smooth and creamy} Now you can finish the recipe by following steps 6-7.