My Momma’s Potato Soup

I always knew when my mom was making potato soup for dinner the second I would open the front door. The smell of the soup cooking on the stove, and the glorious smell of bacon frying for our soup toppings, would have me running to the kitchen asking if we could eat dinner early.

Fortunately, reworking the recipe as a locavore was an easy challenge, because the majority of the ingredients can be found in the Pacific Northwest.

All it takes is some russet potatoes (grown right here in Ore-y-gone) cooked in chicken broth (also a local source – Pacific Natural Foods) and sautéed onions, pureed and then doctored up with some cream and seasonings.

I started by using up some non-local pancetta I had in my fridge, (still haven’t found a place to buy it locally – any tips?) by crisping in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or large saucepan. Once crisp, I placed the pancetta in my mouth, I mean, placed it on a paper towel and saved for topping the soup.

Then, saute the onions in the pancetta renderings until they are just caramelized, about 15 minutes. At this point, my house smelled sooooo good. The smell of onions cooking always brings people from the other room to look over your shoulder and ask, “So… what’s cookin’?” Then, when you tell them it is just onions, they always look a little surprised that it isn’t some fancy gourmet meal, like osso buco or something.

Next, add peeled, cubed potatoes and chicken broth to the pot and cook for about twenty minutes until the potatoes were tender.

Bring out the blender or food processor and puree the mixture in batches. I poured the blended mixture into a large bowl until I returned everything to the pot.

Next, place the mixture back in the pan and turned the heat down to low, add just a quarter cup of cream and salt and pepper to taste.

Finally, ladle the soup into bowls and add some toppings – in my case it was sour cream, chives, and, of course, pancetta.

Then, I go back and add more pancetta, because that is how I roll.

Here is the printable recipe. Enjoy!
Potato Soup