Perfect Potato Soup
Ingredients
For the vegetables
▢5-6 cups diced potatoes
▢1 cup diced carrots, about 2 large
▢1 small yellow onion, diced
▢1 cup of celery, chopped
▢2 cloves garlic, diced
▢enough water to cover the vegetables
▢1 heaping spoonful Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base
▢1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, or 1 tablespoon dried
parsley
▢1 teaspoon salt
For the white sauce
▢1/2 cup butter, one stick
▢1/2 cup all purpose flour
▢1/2 teaspoon salt
▢1/2 teaspoon black pepper
▢ A couple pinches Piment d’Ville chile powder *See note at bottom
▢4 cups milk, whole milk is best
Garnishes
▢mozzarella or cheddar cheese
▢chopped green onions
▢crumbled bacon
Instructions
Dice/chop the potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Place in a stock pot or 3 quart pot.
Add enough water to the pot so that the vegetables are just
slightly covered. Add a heaping spoonful
of Better Then Bouillon and stir. Add the parsley and salt to the pot.
Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Once boiling,
reduce the heat to medium to keep it at a steady simmer. Vent the lid (tilt it
so that steam can escape.) Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes and
carrots are very tender. You should be able to smash one with a fork easily.
Remove from heat.
Use a potato masher and roughly mash the mixture to your
desired texture. I like a velvety soup with some chunks. You can leave it very
chunky by not mashing at all, or if you want an ultra smooth soup you can use
an immersion blender.
Meanwhile, in a 2 quart pot
or larger, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Once it is melted, add 1/2 cup
flour and use a whisk to stir it together into a paste. Add 1/2 teaspoon kosher
salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and a good pinch or two of the Piment d'Ville chile powder. Cook this
mixture for 1-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Slowly add the 4 cups of milk, 1 cup at a time. Use the
whisk to incorporate the milk into the roux every time you add more.
Once all the milk is added, keep stirring often so the
bottom doesn't scorch. Your heat should still be on medium. Wait until the
mixture has come to a boil (consistent bubbles rising from the center) and then
let boil for 1 minute, stirring. Remove from heat.
Pour the white sauce into the pot with the potatoes, using a
spatula to scrape all that goodness in. Stir the mixture together.
Serve warm and garnish with bacon, shredded cheese, and
chopped green onions.
*Piment d'Ville chile powder is made from a special chile (Espelette) that is only grown in a small region of France and in a small region of California. The powder can be purchased here: https://www.boonvillebarn.com/products/piment-dville-collection If you don't have it, just leave this ingredient out. Regular chile powder is not a good substitute for this, as the flavor profile is very different.
Adapted from: https://thefoodcharlatan.com/easy-potato-soup-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-30881
