Potato Soup

There are a few kitchen tools that look strange but come in really handy. My current favorite - the immersion blender. (RIP- thunderstick, I loved you!) Mine just broke, but I got a food processor from Freecycle, so I can make do for a while. Also, as mentioned, a food processor. Mine collects dust for months at a time, then for a few months I wear it out. She gets long vacations, but when I need her, she's there. What more can you ask?

To make this recipe, you're gonna need a potato ricer (masher, whatever you were told this silly thing was called) or a food processor or immersion blender. I usually use my low tech, hand held, not electric, potato ricer. It's an odd looking thing that is a stick with a metal circle on the bottom that has all these little squares cut out. Yeah, that thing.

POTATO SOUP RECIPE

5# red or idaho potatoes (red preferred)
Idaho potato flakes
Goya Ham boullion -Small box has like 6 or 8 packets in it
Medium Onion
Half a bunch of celery - use the leaves and heart
One grated carrot - if you want to, more won't kill the soup
Pint of half & half (or just use milk)
Pepper to taste
Italian spices for fun


Peel and chunk up the potatoes. Cover plus some with water.
Add 6 packets of boullion. Boil until potatoes are soft. Don't let all the water boil out.
Grate the carrot into the soup while it's boiling. Finely mince onion and celery. Toss it in the pot. Let it cook for another half hour or so.

Turn off the eye and move the pot off it. Mash the potatoes into the soup. Make em as small as you want. When you're happy, add the half and half (or milk) and stir it in. Add potato flakes, half cup at a time, stirring and waiting until you're at a consistency you like. Be careful, you may end up with mashed potato flake balls in yer soup. Too thick? Add more milk or water. Add spices.

Taste it. Does it need more ham? Add the other two boullion packets. More pepper?
Some garlic? Have leftover ham? Chunk it up and toss it in. Go ahead, it's just soup not astrophysics.

When it's cold and I see that my local store has bags of potatoes on BOGO, it's time for soup. Yummmmmmmm

If you want to get tricky, switch the onion for some leeks or some scallions.