Wednesday's Weekly Recipes - Potato Soup

The weather is FRIGID and I am in the mood for a hot bowl of soup! This is one of my favorites and is SO easy to make! I like a bit of substance in my soup and usually  add some larger chucks of  red potatoes, or I might  use southern style hash browns instead of shredded ones (or do a bit of both).  I don't like chives, but if you do add them as garnish (like the photo). This recipe is super flexible. 

INGREDIENTS

• 8 slices bacon, cut into 1" pieces
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 bag shredded hashbrowns, defrosted
•  salt
•  black pepper
• 1 qt. chicken broth
• 1 c.  milk
• 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish
• Sour Cream

• DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large pot, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon but reserve about 2 tablespoons of fat in the pan. Add onion and celery, sauté until they begin to soften. Add hash browns and cook until garlic is tender. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Pour in chicken broth, milk, and cheddar and bring to a boil. Let simmer until slightly thickened, about 8-10 minutes. (I add instant mashed potatoes to thicken mine up...and some heavy cream if I have it on hand) 
  3. Garnish with reserved bacon, cheddar cheese,  and a dollop of sour cream. 
  4. 
     
  5. Serve.

  Enjoy!

• K