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Thursday, June 2, 2011

Potato Soup--All Time Comfort Food

Potato soup is easy to make and can be made from red, white, or gold potatoes.  If you use russets or golds, you won't have to thicken the soup with flour or cornstarch.  Just mash some of the cooked potatoes and add them back to the soup. 

Red potatoes will hold their shape better than the white russets or the golds.  For the red potatoes you will need to add thickening.

Cook 2 or 3 medium potatoes to the desired doneness.  You may add butter if you like.  Add thickening made from flour or cornstarch and liquid--water, broth, or milk.

To make the thickening, add 1/4 cup of liquid to 1/4 cup of flour.  Stir with a fork until the mixture is free of lumps.   Add the thickening to the simmering potatoes stirring constantly. The liquid in the potatoes should thicken quickly.  If it gets too thick, add a little more of the liquid.  To use cornstarch in the thickening instead of flour, add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to 1/4 cup of liquid and proceed as before.  Add 1 teaspoon of salt and black pepper to taste.

Variations
Clam Chowder
To make clam chowder, fry 2 or 3 pieces of bacon until crisp.  Crumble the bacon.  To the grease add cubed potatoes, liquid from the can of clams, and broth or water and simmer potatoes until tender.  Add thickening to achieve the consistency you want.  Add the canned clams last.  Cook for five minutes until clams are heated through.  Ladle soup into a bowl and add crumbled bacon.  Serve with crackers or croutons.

Potato and Leek Soup
Carefully wash and clean leeks.  Remove roots and the tough tops of the leeks.  Chop the white and light green part of the leeks.  Boil the leeks with 2 diced potatoes until the vegetables are tender.  Add 1 teaspoon of salt.  Add thickening to desired consistency.  Serve hot with croutons.

Baked Potato Soup
Bring chicken broth to a simmer.  Add 2 or 3 peeled, cubed baked potatoes.  Add thickening to achieve desired consistency.  Serve with the same condiments you would use on a baked potato--crisp, crumbled bacon, shredded cheese, a tablespoon of sour cream, and chopped chives.  Serve with garlic toast.

Let me know how it works out!

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