I hate winter. It’s freezing, my skin gets dry, I have to wear layers of clothes and truthfully if I could live in shorts and a tank top, I would. HOWEVER, the one thing I do love about winter is that it is finally SOUP SEASON. Yes, I can finally bust out my crock pot and make some delicious hot soups for dinner. I’ve made them all, chicken noodle, butternut squash, chowder etc….but last night I tried something new. I wanted to make some type of potato soup so I tweaked a recipe I found and made it my own, and after my fiancé tasted it his exact words were, “Babe, this is perfect! I wouldn’t change a thing!” So I guess that means I rocked it! I keep telling you guys the way to a mans heart is through his stomach…hence why I call my recipe segment, MAN BAIT.
So, you’re welcome in advance.
Recipe: Murt’s Creamy Potato Soup with Bacon and Chives
Pair with: Stella Artois
Ingredients: (Makes about 6-8 bowls)
-3 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes)
-1 medium sweet onion (chopped)
-3 tablespoons of minced garlic
-3 to 4 teaspoons of salt
-2 to 3 teaspoons of fresh pepper
-3 teaspoons of crushed thyme
-2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning
-6 cups chicken or vegetable stock (I used chicken, but if you want to make this vegetarian, use vegetable)
-1/4 cup flour
-1 and 1/3 cups heavy whipping cream
-6 pieces of cooked bacon (chopped)
-1/2 cup chives (chopped)
Directions: (Please note this recipe is in a crock pot so you can set it and forget it. Put it in before you go to work. The potatoes need time to cook).
1. Place your peeled and chopped potatoes and chopped onion in the crock pot. (I chop mine the night before and put it in fridge until morning to make life easier).
2. Next, add the minced garlic, salt, pepper, spices and chicken or vegetable stock and stir until combined.
3. Time to set your crockpot! On HIGH it’ll take 3-4 hours for the potatoes to soften. On LOW it’ll take 7-8 hours. Do what works best for you. If you’ll be gone all day like I was yesterday, LOW worked out perfectly!
4. Once the potatoes are just soft enough to shred with a fork, take out 1/2 cup of the broth and place it in a separate bowl.
5. Take a large fork or potato masher and mash up the potatoes in the crock pot gently to thicken the soup. If the potatoes are ready, this should happen very easily.
6. Next, whisk your 1/4 cup of flour into the broth in the separate bowl, then add heavy cream and continue to whisk until smooth.
7. Pour this into the crock pot and mix in with the soup, then put the top back on and let cook for 1 or 2 more hours.
8. Once the soup is ready, ladle it into bowls and top with some fresh pepper, then add the chopped bacon and chives! Serve with a nice Stella beer and some Italian semolina bread!
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