Creamy potato-bacon chowder

POTATO BACON CHOWDER

This is the best potato soup I have eaten.  I cook for a small home town restaurant and worked at figuring out how to get a good potato soup that wasn't grainy or just runny mashed potatoes.  Enjoy!!  Also can be done vegetarian, without the bacon and switch to a vegetable base instead of chicken.  :0)  Its time for soup!!

 1-2 sweet yellow onions diced (depending on size of onion)
1 garlic clove crushed.
1 heaping tablespoon of chicken base (in a jar by soups) I like low sodium
1/3 cup flour
6 tbsp. of butter divided
10 slices of bacon
1 tbsp. of parsley...fresh or dried
1 tbsp. pepper
1 dash of hot sauce
2 cups of cream
1 cup of water
and 4-6 cups of milk
salt to taste
frest nutmeg if you like


First things first.  I get my potatoes boiling in some salted water.  Not salted like the sea, but just a little salt.  The soup will have enough salt.  :0)  Then I finely dice my bacon and onion and get them sautéing in two tbsp. of  BUTTER, not margarine!  (low to medium heat. 

   This may take a while, be patient, pour a glass of wine.  You want those onions to soak up all the love juice of the bacon and you want them all to be nice and golden brown.  Once then are starting to look delicious, add the clove of crushed garlic. 
Again, I will say take the time, peel garlic and crush it yourself.  You will thank me, the work will make the soup taste better.  The jar stuff just doesn't taste the same.

 Now in a large stock pot, I make my roux. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter, slowly add flour and whisk for a few minutes on a low/ medium heat. Don't burn it. Add your chicken base and whisk a few more minutes. This will cook out the raw flour taste.  It will look weird, but it will come together without clumps...just keep going. 

 

Slowly add your cup of water.  Cold water is best.  Keep whisking over a low to medium heat.    This "paste" is the flavor maker!

 

 

. Add two of the cups of milk, simmer.  Then add two cups of cream. 

 

Add your pepper, parsley and hot sauce.  Start with just a dash of hot sauce, add more at the end if you need it.  Some like it hot....some are whimps.

 

 

 

  Add the bacon and onion mixture (is there any left??)   Add your potatoes. add another two cups of milk.   Bring to a boil on low. . At this point see how thick it is and add milk accordingly, it will thicken as it boils. We top with cheese and chives. If you want it to be a cheesy soup ...you could add some velveeta (I KNOW I KNOW) but it makes a nice cheese consistency in soups. I add about 8 ounces cubed to the pot for a cheesy potato soup. 

 

 

also great with a toasted crouton on top.  Makes a nice pot of soup for these cold winter days.