Cheesy Potato Soup
Rendering bacon at the start is the key to this soup - the fat is used to cook the vegetables, building a smoky, savory base that flavors the entire dish.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter divided
- 6 slices bacon finely diced
- ~1 cup finely diced yellow onion
- ~1 cup finely diced carrot
- ~1.5 cups diced baby gold potatoes unpeeled
- ~1.5 cups diced sweet potatoes peeled
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- ~1.5 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Method
- Melt 1 tbsp butter in large pot over medium heat. Cook diced bacon until crisp; remove to paper towels.
- In bacon fat, sauté carrots and onions 7-9 minutes until tender.
- Add both potatoes, garlic, thyme, mustard, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes.
- Add broth, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes until potatoes are tender.
- In separate pot, melt remaining 3 tbsp butter. Whisk in flour, cook 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in milk until thickened.
- Stir milk mixture into soup. Turn off heat.
- Stir in cheddar until melted.
- Serve topped with reserved bacon.
Notes
Keep heat low when adding cheese to prevent curdling.