This is the BEST potato soup. Ever… I grew up with the white potato soup that was either too runny or too thick with a few bits of onion, carrot and celery in it and vitually no taste. I wasn’t a fan. At all. In fact it was YEARS before I tried to make potato soup on my own. The mere thought of potato soup made me cringe. If you are seeking a “nostalgic” plain potato soup…this ain’t it… This is WAY better.
This soup takes TIME…it is about a 2 hour process (but more ’start it and walk away’ than ‘babysitting’ time), but it is so very worth every second. It is creamy but not too thick, not too thin either…with big chunks of baked potato and “steak” (I use stew meat to cut costs). Topped with shredded cheddar, sour cream, green onions and crispy bacon and a shot or two of hot sauce…it is DELISH!!!!
Baked Potato and Steak Soup
serves 6-8, depending on appetite
What you’ll need:
For Soup:
4 large russet potatoes
1 T EVOO
1-1 1/2 lb stew meat pieces
1 sm onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C shredded carrots
4 T all purp flour
1/2 t dried basil
1/2 t dried thyme
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 t freshly grated nutmeg*
5 C chicken stock
1/2 C Half & Half (I use fat free!!)
1/2 C sour cream
2 T butter milk powder**
salt and pepper to taste1/2 lb bacon, chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
Your favorite hot sauce
For Toppings:
How To:
Prep:
Do this part before starting the soup, you want the potatoes done when the soup’s hour cook time is done.
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F. Scrub potatoes clean, removing any bruises or “eyes”, rinse and pat dry with a paper towel. Stab each potato 6 or so times, all over with the tines of a fork. Lightly coat each potato with a little EVOO. Place potatoes directly on rack, place a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips. Bake the potatoes until the skin is crisp and they squish a little when you squeeze them. Depending on the size of the potato…you’re looking at 1 – 1 1/2 hours bake time. Please do not cheat and put them in the microwave…the crispy oven baked skin is worth it!!! When potatoes are done baking, set them aside to cool a bit. When they are cool enought to handle comfortably, cut them into big hearty chunks.
In large heavy bottomed stock pot, cook bacon over Med heat until crisp, remove with a slotted spoon, leaving drippings in pan. Set bacon aside.
Add stew meat to same pan and cook until nicely browned on all sides (it doesn’t have to be completely done, because it’s going to cook in the soup for a while, remove meat with slotted spoon and set meat aside…leaving drippings in pan.
Add onion and garlic to hot pan drippings and cook over Med heat, stirring until soft.
Sprinkle flour in, one tablespoon at at time, stirring to incorporate each tablespoon before adding the next. Once all flour is in (you should have a thick, messy bit of onions and garlic at the bottom of the pan, don’t worry…it’s okay!) start to add broth gradually, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen all the browned goodness down there.
Add stew meat, carrots, basil, thyme, red pepper flakes, nutmeg (yes, nutmeg…TRUST ME) to soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring soup to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for about an hour. Check the consistency of the soup now. If it is too thin for your taste, add some flour thickner to it. Do this before adding the sour cream mixture and potatoes, because after you do that step, you do not want to bring the soup to a boil.
In a small bowl, mix sour cream, half & half and buttermilk powder until smooth.
Turn heat off under soup. Add sour cream mixture and stir to incorporate. Add potatoes and stir gently. Let sit long enough for potatoes to warm through. If you’ve timed the potato baking process right, this will not take more than a minute or two…
To Serve:
Ladle soup into a deep bowl, top with a generous bit of shredded cheddar, a dollop of sour cream, a dash or two of hot sauce, some crispy bacon and fresh green onions. Serve with hot Cheddar Bay biscuits. (recipe follows)
Now that’s good chewin’!!!
*If you don’t have whole nutmeg…GET IT, it’s worth it… It really makes all the difference and all you need is a fine rasp to grate it with.
** Buttermilk powder is found in the baking isle. I keep it on hand, because it lasts longer than liquid buttermilk, which I never use up and always end up wasting. The powder is made to mix with a liquid to replace buttermilk in recipes. I use it all the time to add a bit of zing to creamy sauces and soups. If you have liquid buttermilk on hand, use 1/4 C buttermilk and 1/4 C half & half, in place of the 1/2 C half & half and buttermilk power.
Cheddar Bay Biscuits
2 C baking mix (such as Bisquick)
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar
2/3 C water
1/2 t Old Bay seafood seasoning
To Brush on Biscuits:
1/4 C melted butter
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1 t parsley flakes
1/2 t Old Bay seafood seasoning
How To:
What you’ll need:
For Biscuits:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking oil spray.
In medium bowl, add baking mix, water, cheddar, and Old Bay. Stir until a sticky dough forms.
Drop onto prepared sheet in small balls, slightly larger than golf ball sized, about 2″ apart.
Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Biscuits will seem very soft…they should be.
While biscuits are baking, make the butter mixture. Melt butter in a pan or in the microwave. Stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and Old Bay.
When the biscuits are golden brown, remove from oven and immediately brush with butter mixture. Cool on pan for 2 minutes before serving.
