Description
This Ultimate Potato Soup is a creamy, comforting dish that combines crispy bacon, tender potatoes, and a blend of savory ingredients to create the perfect bowl of warmth. Featuring a silky texture achieved by partially pureeing the soup, it balances rich flavors with subtle heat from ancho chili powder, making it an ideal recipe for cozy dinners year-round.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup Base
- 6 strips uncooked bacon, cut into small pieces
- 3 Tablespoons butter (unsalted or salted)
- 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 teaspoons salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder (start with ¼ teaspoon)
Finishing & Garnishes
- ⅔ cup sour cream (160g)
- Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
- Chives (optional)
- Additional sour cream and reserved cooked bacon for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Cook Bacon: Place bacon pieces in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat and cook until crisp and browned. Remove the bacon pieces and set aside, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
- Sauté Onions and Garlic: Add butter to the pot with the bacon fat, then add the chopped onion. Cook over medium heat until the onions are tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add Flour: Sprinkle the flour over the cooked onions and garlic in the pot. Stir continuously until the mixture is smooth and combined, using a whisk if needed to avoid lumps.
- Add Potatoes and Liquids: Add diced potatoes to the pot along with chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and ancho chili powder. Stir well to combine all ingredients.
- Cook Potatoes: Bring the soup to a boil, then cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, approximately 10 minutes.
- Puree Half the Soup: Reduce the heat to a simmer. Carefully remove about half of the soup (approximately 5 cups) to a blender and puree until smooth. Alternatively, an immersion blender can be used directly in the pot. Return the pureed soup to the pot and stir well.
- Add Sour Cream and Bacon: Stir in the sour cream and the reserved crisp bacon pieces into the soup.
- Simmer and Serve: Allow the soup to simmer gently for 15 minutes to meld flavors before serving.
- Garnish: Serve topped with additional sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped chives, and extra bacon if desired. Enjoy your comforting bowl of potato soup!
Notes
- Start with 1 ½ teaspoons of salt and adjust according to taste and the saltiness of your chicken broth.
- If unfamiliar with ancho chili powder, begin with ¼ teaspoon and increase gradually up to ½ teaspoon for desired flavor.
- For a fully creamy soup, puree all of the soup in batches rather than just half, though partial pureeing retains chunks for texture.
- Exercise caution when blending hot soup to avoid burns—blend in small batches and vent the blender lid slightly.
