Potato soup is one of those things that sounds super cozy and comforting, but is often disappointingly bland. Potatoes are great, but they need to be seasoned generously in order to shine and being surrounded by delicious dance partners helps too.
But this is potato soup, so potatoes need to be the star of the show. Adding carrots, mushrooms, leeks or any of the other bold ingredients that are often added to potato soup will of course add flavor, but is it still really “potato” soup? I vote no.
So, today we are keeping it simple by layering ingredients that will help uplift the humble potato and make it every bit as delicious as we all know it can be.
Let’s get started…
Begin by preparing your potatoes. You will need about 2 pounds of potatoes for this soup. This will be about 4 medium to large potatoes.
I am using a couple of russets and a couple of yukon golds, because I had them in my pantry, but either potato will work great for soup.
Peel them, rinse them and cut them into bite sized pieces.
In addition to the potatoes, you will need 4 strips of bacon (or 4 ounces of pancetta), 1 large diced yellow onion, 4 cloves of finely minced garlic, 1/4 cup of all purpose flour, 32 ounces of chicken stock, 2 cups of milk, 1/2 cup of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, 1 1/2 cups of shredded sharp white cheddar, 1-2 teaspoons of onion powder and some salt and black pepper.
Begin by adding the bacon into a large pot over medium heat. You can dice the bacon before or after you crisp it up, but if you are cooking with me, we are dicing it up afterward. Dicing raw bacon, even with a very sharp knife, is not super fun, so I prefer to cut the strips into halves or thirds and dice it up after it has gotten nice and crispy.
Pancetta works great in this soup and if you can get a 4 ounces package of diced pancetta, even better.
Once the bacon or pancetta is crisp, transfer it onto a paper towel lined plate and set it aside for now.
Add your diced yellow onion, cook it until it has softened and then add the finely minced garlic and cook for another 60 seconds or so while stirring constantly.
Now, sprinkle 1/4 cup of all purpose flour over the garlic and onions and cook while stirring for another 60 seconds or so.
Add 32 ounces of chicken stock and 2 cups of whole milk and bring the mixture up to a simmer.
Once it is simmering, add your cubed potatoes and simmer until they are tender.
Note: In order to thicken this soup and make it wonderfully luscious, we need to blend some of the soup. I think half is perfect, but you can blend less or more if you desire a soup with more or less texture.
Add the blended soup back into the pot along with 1/2 cup of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (full fat is best here), 1 1/2 cups of shredded sharp white cheddar, 1 teaspoon of onion powder and a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Mix everything thoroughly and then taste to see if additional salt, black pepper or onion powder is needed.
Once you add the sour cream and cheese, keep the soup warm over low heat, but avoid bringing it back up to a simmer as it can create a grainy texture in the soup.
Do you remember that bacon we started this whole thing off with? Well, it should be completely cooled off and very easy to chop or crumble up by now, so break it into small pieces and either mix it into the pot of soup or use it to garnish each bowl.
Now grab your roomiest soup bowl, fill it up and garnish with a little extra cheese, a dollop of sour cream, some chopped chives and any of the bacon that may be left behind.
This creamy potato soup is lovely. It is thick and creamy with little chunks of tender potatoes speckled throughout each bowl. The sour cream and melted cheddar add to the texture too. It is just luscious and wonderful.
This soup definitely has great flavors too. You really get that comforting mashed potato taste with saltiness from the bacon, a nice little hit of garlic, tang from the sour cream and sharp cheddar cheese. The layers are delicious and all lift up the beautiful potato.
If you are looking for a simple, comforting potato soup then I would love for you to give this creamy potato soup a try. It is definitely filling enough on its own, but it does pair well with some soft Italian bread and a little salad if you want to balance your meal out a little more.
You are going to love it.
Creamy Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 4 strips of bacon
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1/4 cup of all purpose flour
- 32 ounces of chicken stock
- 2 cups of whole milk
- 2 pounds of potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1/2 cup of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 cups of sharp white cheddar, shredded
- 1-2 teaspoons of onion powder
- salt and black pepper
Optional Garnishes
- sharp cheddar, shredded
- sour cream
- chives, finely chopped
- bacon, crumbled
Instructions
- Place a large pot over medium heat and add 4 strips of bacon cut in half or thirds
- Cook the bacon until it is crisp and then transfer the bacon onto some paper towels and set aside for now
- Add the diced yellow onion and cook for 5-6 minutes or until softened
- Add 4 cloves of garlic and cook for 60 seconds while stirring constantly
- Sprinkle 1/4 cup of all purpose flour over the softened onions and garlic and stir to combine
- Add 32 ounces of chicken stock and 2 cups of whole milk and bring the mixture to a simmer
- Add the diced potatoes and simmer until the potatoes are tender
- Transfer about half of the mixture into a blender or food processor and blend until fairly smooth
- Reduce the heat to low and pour the blended portion back into the pot along with 1/2 cup of sour cream or greek yogurt, 1 1/2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar and 1 teaspoon of onion powder and mix until completely combined
- Taste and add additional salt, black pepper or onion powder if desired
- Roughly chop the crisped bacon and either mix it into the soup or use it as a garnish along with additional shredded cheddar, sour cream and chopped chives
- Enjoy hot
