We like to have it with salad and toasted sourdough bread.
- 1/2 cup onion chopped
- 1 salt and pepper to taste
- 3 cups potatoes peeled & cubed (i use 3 large russet tate
- 1/2 cup celery chopped
- 2 cubes chicken boullion
- water (see directions)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour depending on h ( to 4)
- 1 cups milk
- 2 cups mild cheddar shredded
- 1 cup ham chopped (optional) (soup tastes great without
- Carbohydrate 46.8167855555254 g
- Cholesterol 131.569333333333 mg
- Fat 66.6212611111074 g
- Fiber 4.41520009524616 g
- Protein 32.4087944444222 g
- Saturated Fat 30.0456766666667 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (443g)
- Sodium 1804.7877777775 mg
- Sugar 42.4015854602792 g
- Trans Fat 4.99951277777408 g
- Calories 915 calories
Step-by-step
- Put cubed potatoes in large pot and cover with water (to where they're just barely covered -- don't put in extra).
- Add onion, celery, salt, pepper, bullion and parsley.
- Boil until potatoes are just tender.
- Whisk flour into cold milk -- once well blended, add mixture to pot (on medium heat).
- Stir frequently until soup thickens a little.
- Once it's as thick as you like, add the cheese and ham.
- Stir well and simmer for a couple of minutes and serve!
Substituting heavy cream for the whole milk shifts this soup from a brothy consistency to a velvet-smooth emulsion, though it dramatically increases the saturated fat load. Russet potatoes, prized historically in American hearth cooking for their high amylose and amylopectin starch content, break down partially during boiling to naturally thicken the surrounding liquid.
Historically, thick potato potages evolved from nineteenth-century rural American adaptations of European dairy-based soups, utilizing abundant cellar potatoes and hard cheeses that required preservation. Early iterations relied entirely on the starchy cooking water combined with rendered pork fat or scraps of cured ham to build body before commercial bouillon cubes and standardized flour thickening agents became pantry staples.
Achieving the correct final consistency requires whisking all-purpose flour thoroughly into cold milk prior to introduction, preventing the formation of stubborn lumps that occur when raw flour hits hot liquids directly. Simmering the mixture over medium heat for precisely three minutes activates the starch granules fully, removing any raw flour taste without scorching the dairy sugars.
Shredding mild cheddar cheese manually on a box grater yields superior melting compared to pre-bagged varieties, which are coated in cellulose powder that inhibits smooth integration. Stirring the cheese in off the heat or over a very low flame prevents the milk proteins from separating into an oily, grainy matrix that ruins the velvety mouthfeel.
