Pototo Soup (again)

We made potato soup again for dinner, and since everyone who reads this seemed interested in learning more, my dd decided to photograph the cooking process. Please excuse the messy stovetop ;) You don't realize just how messy your stove is until you take pictures of it. LOL

Why potato soup AGAIN? Because it is too YUMMY!!! Besides that, I purchased a 50 pound back of potatoes at Country View last week, for just $2.49...and this is one easy, delicious, and family favorite fall soup that we make....and I could easily eat it every day of the week, as could my husband and kids. I calculated the approximate cost of making it, and came to the conclusion that this is an under $1 dinner:

about 5 lbs of potatoes (0.24, when purchased in the 50 lb bag)
a handful of flour (about .10)
1 c. of milk (about 0.30)
1 carrot (from the garden--maybe a few cents?)
1 onion (also from the garden--about 2 cents)
rosemary and parsley from the garden (they grow without assistance now--so free)
1 slice of turkey bacon (16 slices in a 1 lb package for $1.89---.12)
water--free
pinch of salt--less than a penny.
1T of oil or butter (depends on what oil you use--I used butter, so about $.20)

Day old bread (store bought of homemade) can be added as croutons, and a half a handful of cheese on each bowl (also optional) may raise the price up to $1.50-2.00 (depending on the cheese). Someone gave us the brick of cheese, so for us it was free.

Less than the price of a large order of fries at McDonalds and much better for you too!

I start out by peeling, cubing and cooking the potatoes. DON'T pour off the water as the starch helps it to thicken later on.

In your soup pot, cook your slice of bacon. Remove and finely mince, and set aside. Add some additional oil/butter if needed. Saulte 1 onion and 1 carrot (finely minced). You can add celery too.

Next, add 1 handful of flour. Stir until a paste forms, then add about 2 c. of milk. Obviously I'm not measuring here.



Simmer that, stirring frequently, until it becomes quite thick. Next, pour in your potatoes in their cooking liquid. If it appears you need more liquid, add hot water! At this point you can add some other seasonings too, such as chicken boullion.



I like fresh herbs in mine, so I trotted off to my (needs-badly-to-be-weeded) herb garden for some fresh parsley and rosemary for the soup. Dried is fine but fresh...it really is awesome. Might as well enjoy it while the plants are still thriving at the end of the growing season!



Back indoors, I took the sprig of rosemary, and running my fingers along it, I stripped off the leaves. I picked out any big stems out of the parsley too. I took a large chefs knife, and minced them on a cutting board.

I add the rosemary to the pot, and some of the parsley, but reserve some parsley for garnish. I also, at this point, add the bacon, finely minced. You can also leave some of that out for a garnish.




I don't known about you, but I like bread with my soup. We had some sandwich bread from the store (we all agree mine is best--but it had been too hot to bake until this week...), cut into quarters. I heated my tortilla skilled (cast iron) which is well seasoned, and I toasted the pieces on the skilled so that they were like croutons. If you don't have a well seasoned cast iron skillet you may need to either use nonstick or lightly oil either the bread or the skillet. Using a brush and olive oil works good.




As you can see from the very top photo, this is best served in a mug, with one of the "croutons" placed on top, some cheese, and some of the fresh parsley.

Bon Appetit!