Description
A creamy and comforting ultimate potato soup made with crispy bacon, tender gold potatoes, and a blend of milky broth topped with cheddar and chives. Perfect for warming up on a chilly day with a rich and hearty texture achieved by partially pureeing the soup.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup Base
- 6 strips bacon, cut into small pieces
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1.5 cup/200g)
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (42g)
- 2 ½ lbs gold potatoes, peeled and diced into pieces no larger than 1 inch (about 6 large potatoes/1.15kg)
- 4 cups chicken broth (945ml)
- 2 cups milk (475ml)
- ⅔ cup heavy cream (155ml)
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
Finishing Touches
- ⅔ cup sour cream (160g)
- Shredded cheddar cheese (optional, for topping)
- Chives (optional, for topping)
- Additional sour cream (optional, for topping)
- Additional cooked bacon pieces (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- Cook the bacon: Place bacon pieces in a large Dutch Oven or soup pot over medium heat and cook until bacon is crisp and browned, then remove bacon pieces and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot.
- Sauté the aromatics: Add butter and chopped onion to the pot and cook over medium heat until onions are tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Then add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add flour: Sprinkle the flour over the butter, onions, and garlic mixture and stir until smooth, using a whisk if needed to prevent lumps.
- Combine main ingredients: Add the diced potatoes, chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and ancho chili powder to the pot. Stir well to combine all ingredients.
- Cook potatoes: Bring the mixture to a boil, then cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes.
- Puree half the soup: Reduce heat to a simmer. Remove approximately half of the soup (about 5 cups) to a blender carefully while hot and puree until smooth. Alternatively, use an immersion blender to puree half the soup in the pot. Return the pureed soup back into the pot and stir well.
- Add sour cream and bacon: Stir in the sour cream and the reserved cooked bacon pieces into the soup.
- Simmer to meld flavors: Let the soup simmer gently for 15 minutes before serving to allow flavors to combine.
- Serve and garnish: Ladle soup into bowls and top with additional sour cream, bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and chives as desired. Enjoy your hearty and creamy ultimate potato soup!
Notes
- Start with a more reserved amount of salt and adjust as needed because the saltiness varies depending on the brand of chicken broth used.
- If you’re new to ancho chili powder, begin with ¼ teaspoon and taste before increasing to ½ teaspoon to suit your preference.
- For a completely creamy texture, puree all of the soup in batches instead of just half, but for texture, pureeing half keeps potato chunks.
- Use a sturdy blender or immersion blender to safely puree hot liquids.
- Feel free to substitute heavy cream with half-and-half for a lighter version.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 680 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
