Potato Soup  (Note to self: find ideas for what to do with leftover potato soup)

Potato Soup requires cooking up your spuds in two way for one delicious meal. When I first started making Potato Soup I did not even look for a recipe.  It was cold outside, we were in the mood for a warming soup and Spuds were what was on hand.  So the first, was boiled potatoes cooked, drained milk added, seasoned and then coarsely mashed.   And cooked back down so what I made thickened a bit.

But time has passed and as with most meals in the kitchen I can not help but "improve".


I select enough potatoes (my preference is russets but I use what is at hand) to serve what would be a double serving of spuds to each person and one guest.  Half of these I cut up chunky for boiling.  The other half I take the time to cube up, in mouth friendly size.

Chunky potatoes go into a pot of water and I cook just as I would if I was making mash potatoes.

 While mashed potatoes are cooking I get out a 10 inch skillet, burner is turned up to medium, in goes 1 Tbl spoon of butter and 2 Tbl spoon oil.  Once the oil is heated I add two cloves of minced garlic a pinch of salt and two pinches of pepper.  The object is to flavor the oil. Then I add the cubed potatoes.  I am preparing theses as you would home fries for breakfast.  I want the cubes to brown/crisp up lightly.  Once the potatoes have browned on one side and are stirred/flipped, I dice up onion. ( And you are going to ask how much aren't you?  As much onion as you like to have in your home fries).  I also add 1 Tbl spoon dry celery seasoning and 2 Tbl spoon dried parsley.  Now I am cooking to brown the potatoes more evenly and to caramelize the onions.  Just before these are done two things need to happen, if you are adding chopped ham or already cooked and chopped bacon, you add that now.  Ham I use is already cooked, so it does not need to cook, not even heat thoroughly at this point.  Last and importantly not to be forgotten,  turn diced potato mixture out onto a paper towel lined plate and get some of that access excess oil off, then return to skillet to keep warm.

Drain water from boiling potatoes, season and mash just as you would for serving.  Now to liquefy the potatoes.  Half and half works, so does cream, I even enjoy using condensed milk.  I add and stir in milk until what I am looking at resembles a milk shake.  Now add in contents of the skillet.  At this point I add milk to thin mixture just a bit, and then I mash up and down in just one are of the pan. My objective is mash just enough to bring the fried potato taste stronger into the soup.you :do want to retain a good amount of the fried cubed potatoes.

Taste salt and pepper as needed.

NOTE TO SELF: come up with ideas to use leftover potato soup.
#1  portion out into individual baking dishes and slowly bake soup - turned out sort of like twice baked potatoes.

There are many correct variations to potato soup, test , adjust and derive at your own.  My daughter Elizabeth's potato soup is not the same as mine, but it is something I look forward to having when she is the one in the kitchen.

Another cold weather note:  You have not tasted Hot Chocolate, until your milk mixture is 1/2 milk and 1/2 condensed milk, and then chocolate flavored to your taste....found we need less chocolate syrup to reach a well loved hot drink.