Potato Hashbrown Soup ~

Oh boy, another hard to resist item for me -- potatoes.  This is another food item we just don't have in the house often...like bacon.  Oh look - they are both here in attendance.  :)  

~FLD's after school snack, very filling ~

I was talking about soups with FLD (Former Little Dude) last week when I made chicken soup.  I bought a bag of *REALLY* cheap potatoes in a moment of "These are cheap - we are poor" mode the same week.  Dysfunctional offerings to the public - genetically modified potatoes.  They will be the last in this home, I hope.  Back to my main thought...I mentioned potato soup to FLD because he loves potatoes.  He likes to try things, has an open mind when it comes to food...so I said I would make potato soup.  He was happy to hear that it also had bacon.  Insert male grunting happy for meat sounds here.  14 years old = often hungry.

Potato Soup ~

6 slices thick cut bacon, trimmed of excess fat, sliced in 3/4" pieces
1/2 white onion, diced
4-6 medium red russet potatoes, large cubes, cooked.  Leave on skins.  Drain and set aside
2 medium red russet potatoes, peeled, diced.
5 c. chicken stock.
3/4 c. half and half.
2 tsp. pureed chipotle in adobo sauce
1 T. freshly chopped Mexican oregano
Salt
Freshly ground pepper

• Note that this recipe has cooked potatoes.  If you have not done this, now is the time, use salted water.
• In a stock pot heated over medium, brown bacon until it is crisp and has released all it's fat.
• Remove bacon and all but 2 T. fat.  Reserve fat if you feel you might use a tad more in the recipe.
• Saute diced potatoes in the bacon fat over medium-low heat until half cooked, some browning is good.  Remember to salt and pepper the potatoes as you start.  Remove when half cooked and reserve.  These do not get added until after the other boiled cubed potatoes have been pureed.
• If you feel you need a tad more grease use either the reserved bacon fat or a touch of olive oil.  In this, saute the onions until brown.
• Add the cooked cubed potatoes, not the sauteed diced potatoes, 3 - 4 cups of the stock and the oregano to the onions.  Let warm through.
• Remove the potatoes and stock to puree in a blender, in batches.  Watch the overspill, leave the lid ajar with a towel covering or it will spray out.  Never blend hot liquids in a closed atmosphere.
• Add the puree back to the stock pot.  Add the remaining chicken stock, the half and half, the chipotle puree and the reserved sauteed diced potatoes.  Let come to a gentle simmer until the diced sauteed potatoes are cooked through, but still fairly firm to the bite.
• At this point, since salting the hashbrowns and the onions, there should not be too much need for more salt, only minor adjustments.  I tend to like a peppery potato soup, so I added more freshly ground pepper.  The chipotle puree ads depth to taste.  Add water if you want it thinner.

Happy Fall day!  Eskimo kisses ~ ~ ~

This is linked to the happy sharing day of Foodie Friday.