Baked Potato Soup
I made this using leftovers one night and it came out great! It can be tweaked all different ways to make it your own.
I made this using leftovers one night and it came out great! It can be tweaked all different ways to make it your own.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 cups water
- 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
- 2 medium potatoes (peeled and diced)
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
- bacon bits (optional - the real ones - not imitation)
- Carbohydrate 20.3119304166237 g
- Cholesterol 44.6554166666667 mg
- Fat 15.4409840624932 g
- Fiber 2.42397921458014 g
- Protein 8.40529843749267 g
- Saturated Fat 9.73894927083156 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (189g)
- Sodium 294.635447916657 mg
- Sugar 17.8879512020436 g
- Trans Fat 0.966024583332208 g
- Calories 250 calories
Step-by-step
- Place potatoes and water in a large saucepan; cook over medium heat until tender.
- Meanwhile, in another saucepan, saute onion butter until tender.
- Stir in the flour, salt, thyme, oregano, celery salt and pepper. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add potatoes with cooking liquid; heat through.
- Add cheese and bacon bits and stir to melt before serving.
Substituting heavy cream for milk alters the viscosity completely, shifting the base from a broth-leaning emulsion to a heavy, velvety velouté. Starch management dictates the success of potato soups. Boiling diced potatoes directly in water creates a starch-rich cooking liquid that, when combined with a flour-and-butter roux, acts as the primary thickening agent. Incorporating dairy too early can cause curdling if the heat exceeds 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Maintaining a gentle simmer during the milk-incorporation phase prevents milk proteins from scorching at the bottom of a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Simultaneous multi-vessel cooking requires strict timing discipline. While potatoes soften in one pan over medium heat, translucent onions demand attention in another. Whisking all-purpose flour into melted butter and cooking it for exactly 60 seconds eliminates raw flour tastes before the liquid enters the pan. Gradually tempering cold milk into the hot roux prevents lumps from forming. Grating sharp cheddar cheese on a box grater rather than buying pre-shredded varieties ensures smooth melting, as bagged cheeses contain cellulose anti-caking agents that create a grainy texture in suspension.
Variations in potato cultivars change the starch profile significantly. Russet potatoes contain high amounts of amylose and amylopectin, cells that rupture easily and release thickening starches into the broth. Waxy alternatives like red or fingerling potatoes retain their cellular walls, producing a thinner, more broth-like result that resists thickening even with added flour. Dicing potatoes uniformly to half-inch cubes guarantees even heat penetration during the 15-minute boiling window.
