You Say Potato…

Given that my last post was sans recipe, I thought it only fair to include a recent dish (and its recipe) in this post.  As much as I would have liked, we didn’t just eat brioche for dinner the other night, we had actual food.  And that food was one of the most delicious potato soups I’ve ever eaten.  Normally I don’t gravitate to potato soups or chowders because the ones I’ve eaten in the past have been entirely too chunky for my taste.  Not this one…this one spoke to me on a visceral level.  This soup would end up as a purée, and it had bacon in it!  How could I go wrong?

Not only did this recipe have some of my favorite flavor profiles, but it was also so simple to make.  And I (miraculously) had all of the ingredients on hand!  So, I began the task of prepping my mire poix and peeling my potatoes.  Usually, Scott plays the role of sous chef in our kitchen, but he was busy in the garage building my soon-to-be-awesome custom prep table, so I let his absence slide this time.  Besides, I knew it would please him to emerge from the garage and smell the lovely scent of garlic, rosemary, and onions sautéing away in butter.  

The best part you ask?  Well, in Scott’s opinion, it was the Bacon Vinaigrette.  Clearly.

Potato Soup with Bacon Vinaigrette
adapted from Food52

For the Soup:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced
1 rib celery, diced,
1 large (or 2-3 medium) carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced,
1 sprig (1 tablespoon) fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
3-5 medium Russet potatoes (weighing in at least 2 pounds), peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes
7 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (I used my homemade)
1 cup lowfat sour cream (I used plain yogurt)
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

For the Vinaigrette:

3-4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
3 scallions, finely sliced
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar (you could also use white wine vinegar)
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch Kosher salt
pinch freshly cracked black pepper

Method:

Add butter to stock pot  and melt over medium-high heat.
Add carrots, onion, celery, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper.  Sauté veggies until onions are soft, roughly 8-10 minutes.
To that, add the potatoes and stock.  Cook on medium-high until potatoes are very tender, roughly 20-25 minutes.
Turn off heat, add sour cream (or yogurt) and puree with immersion blender (or in a regular blender) until smooth.
Stir in champagne vinegar. 
Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

To make vinaigrette: 

Cook bacon until crispy and let drain on paper towel. 
In a small bowl, combine bacon, scallions, vinegar, salt, and pepper. 
Add oil and stir to combine.
Top bowls of soup with 1 tablespoon vinaigrette.