Potato Soup

I love soup weather and it’s definitely been soup weather the past couple of weeks. This past weekend I made a big pot of potato soup. I don’t make it exactly how my mom makes it because I like it thicker, but essentially it’s the same recipe plus or minus some flour.

The first step is to cut up your potatoes and carrots and put them on to boil. I cut my potatoes into about 1/2″ x 1/2″ pieces. The size is completely up to you. I cut the carrots finer, but again, it’s your personal preference. I used 4 cups of potatoes and 1 cup of carrots.

Add your potatoes and carrots to a stock pot, season to taste with salt and pepper, then cover with water. Give it a stir and put it on to boil for twenty minutes. After the twenty minutes you’ll move to the next step.

The next step is to make a roux. I diced 1 medium onion (about one cup) and 2 large ribs of celery (about half a cup). Place these and a half stick of butter into an enameled dutch oven and heat on medium-high, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender. Add 1/4 cup of flour and stir constantly until golden-brown. The browning isn’t necessary, but it does add flavor so it’s good to take the extra few minutes.

Add 1 cup of milk, stirring constantly so the flour doesn’t clump. It is going to thicken really quickly, but that’s good! (If you don’t want a thick soup, omit the flour step and just add your milk.) Add another two cups of milk once it has thickened.

Add the contents of your stock pot with the potatoes and carrots to your milk mixture. Stir to combine. Stir in 1 teaspoon of parsley. If you like sausage, it’s a great addition to potato soup. I fried half a pound in a skillet, breaking it up with a spatula. I then drained it and added it to the soup. If your soup is still too thick for your soup, add an additional cup of milk. I cooked it an additional 10 minutes on medium, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.

Enjoy this cooler weather while it lasts and enjoy a hot bowl of soup while you’re at it!

Potato Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 cups diced Potatoes
• 1 cup diced Carrots
• 1 medium Onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 large ribs Celery (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 stick Butter
• 3-4 cups Milk
• 1/4 cup Flour
• 1 tsp crushed, dried Parsley
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• optional: 1/2 lb. fried Sausage, drained

Instructions:

1. Add potatoes and carrots to large stock pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with water and boil for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. In enameled dutch oven add onion, celery, and butter. Cook on medium-high heat until vegetables are tender.
3. Add flour to dutch oven and stir continually until golden-brown. Reduce heat to medium and add one cup of milk, stirring quickly to prevent clumping.
4. After mixture thickens add two more cups of milk.
5. Add contents of stock pot, parsley, and sausage (if desired) to dutch oven. Stir to combine.
6. If a thinner consistency is desired, add remaining cup of milk.
7. Heat an additional 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.