Chunky potato soup

1/11/11

You won't object to another recipe, will you? Because cooking is about the only exciting thing I've been doing lately. I'm excited about this one because my last three attempts at a potato-ey/corn chowder-ey soup have all been pretty barftastic. Plus I wanted to see if there was a recipe out there that didn't require a whole stick of butter and/or 5 lbs. of cheese. I found this one on epicurious.com and made a few changes, and it was delish! The pan frying cooking technique brings out a more complex flavor from the vegetables than plain boiling does.

Chunky Potato Soup

adapted from Chunky Potato Soup with Dill from epicurious.com

2 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 stick butter
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup whole milk or half and half
1 1/2 cups canned or frozen corn
5-6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
2 T chopped fresh dill, parsley or green onion

Cook vegetables in butter in a 5-6 quart heavy pot, covered, over med-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown and stick to bottom of pot, about 15 minutes. Add stock, 1 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer 3 cups soup to a blender with milk or half and half and blend until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return to pot, then stir in corn and bacon. Top with fresh dill, parsley or green onion if desired. Yield: 6 servings.