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Chef Richard’s Creamy Potato Soup with Oven Baked Ham & Cheese Sandwiches

I figure with it getting cooler and cooler out, I would send you my personal favorite winter soup recipe! Its a good thing I’m part Irish or my love for potatoes would be unnatural! ~ Chef Richard

Serves 6

2 Lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes

2 Tbsp Grapeseed Oil

Divided 1 White Onion, Small diced 1 Leek, White Part only, sliced

1 1/2 cups Chicken stock (Better Than Bouillon is a great brand)

2 Cups Whole Milk

1/3 Cup Sour Cream To Taste

Sea Salt and Ground Black Pepper

1/4 Cup Flour

Garnish: 5 Slices of Bacon (optional) cooked, dried, and crumbled

1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese

3 Scallions, Sliced Thin

Roast the potatoes until tender, then let cool slightly and cut in half. While the potatoes are cooking, heat your oil over high heat in a saute pan, add the onions and cook till lightly browned and add your leek. Cook for about a minute and remove from the heat. Now, in a large stock pot or sauce pot, add the rest of your oil and allow it to heat up over medium heat. Next, add the flour to the pot, still until it is incorporated in, then add your chicken stock and milk and let it come to a simmer. Make sure to keep stirring. Now, add in your potatoes. When you add the potatoes since they’re already roasted they should be soft.

Just take each potato half and hold it cut side down over the pot and squeeze it the already roasted potato should fall right out into the soup, discard the skins. Stir the potatoes into the soup. You can puree it if you like, or leave them chunky, its your call. I like to puree mine. I use an Immersion Blender. You can also use a hand blender. Now, add in your onion, leeks, and sour cream. Stir everything until it is well incorporated and allow the soup to reduce down until it is your desired thickness. I like a good hearty soup, so mine is normally thicker. Salt and pepper it to your taste and ladle it into a bowl. Add the Cheddar, Crumbled Bacon, and Scallions to the top and serve!

Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc would go well with this! For a red I would suggest Pinot Noir.

Notes: Leeks are awesome but very dirty! Make sure they’re cleaned all the way before you use them. Its easiest to cut off the green part and the root and then cut it in half long ways and rinse it like that! Better Than Bouillon is also great! It comes in a small jar which you just take a spoonful of it out and reconstitute it with warm water. The directions and measurements are on the jar. Much less sodium than other pre-packaged stocks and you can adjust the taste to fit your own personal likes! And one jar makes 9.5 quarts and lasted for almost 5 months in the fridge!

This soup pairs great with warm, oven baked ham and cheese sandwiches!

Choose your favorite deli style roll or bread. Melt a little butter and add mustard, finely chopped onion and a few poppy seeds to the mixture. Spread on your bread or roll. Next, pile on the ham and swiss cheese! Wrap in foil and bake at 375 for 15 minutes until warm and melted.

Enjoy!