a list of recipes > Creamy Potato Soup
Creamy Potato Soup
This is a recipe for a thick and rich home grown version of a Creamy Potato Soup that I make each year to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
Ingredients:
- 6 cups of Potatoes, chopped into small cubes
- 1 medium size Sweet Onion chopped into small pieces
- Peanut Oil to cover the bottom of the pan
- 3 cups of Celery chopped into thick slices
- 4 cups of Whole Milk
- 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) Butter
- 1 tablespoon of Salt
- 2 cups of fresh Leeks chopped into thin disks
Spices:
- 1/2 teaspoon of Black Pepper freshly ground
- 1/2 teaspoon of White Pepper freshly ground
Finish Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of Fresh Dill chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Preparation:
Cook the Potatoes in a Microwave (or steam cooker) until they begin to soften.
Heat the Peanut Oil in a large pan.
Fry the Sweet Onions until they begin to brown on the edges. These Onions are meant to provide the sensation of Umami, so cook them well after the aroma of Onion has passed. Let the edges brown and caramelize into a rich flavor.
Add the ground Pepper to the Onions, lower the heat, and mix well.
Add the Potatoes and the tablespoon of Salt. Stir the potatoes in so they are coated with the oil.
Add the Butter to the mix and stir it in as it melts.
Pour the Milk into the pan. Raise the heat and bring the mix to a boil. Take care not to burn the Milk by stirring the mix often.
Once the mix is boiling lower the heat to simmer. Use a lid to capture the heat. Stir frequently and keep in mind that the Milk will quickly burn if the bottom of the mix gets too hot.
Keep watch over the soup mix and observe when the potato starch starts to gather at the top of the boil and form a frothy layer. Continue stirring occasionally and make sure you do not burn and stick the Milk on the bottom of the pan.
Add the Celery when you think the Potatoes are finally dissolving into the milk, and the mixture appears to have begun to thicken. The idea is to time the addition of the Celery so it is not over cooked when the soup has finally thickened.
When the soup has thickened and is nearly finished add the Leeks. The idea is to cook the Leeks no more than necessary, and to preserve as much of their flavor as possible.
When the Leeks have cooked a bit, add the Fresh Dill and the final teaspoon of Salt. Mix thoroughly. Cook for a few minutes longer, then turn of the heat and let the soup settle.