One of the best potato soup recipes in the known universe can be found in The Mother Earth News Almanac. It is easy to make, thick, warm, filling, and absolutely perfect on a cold day in the dead of winter. I’ve made it for years. My version isn’t 100% faithful to the original, but it’s still one of my favorite things to eat in January.
Potato-Cheese Soup
Adapted from The Mother Earth News Almanac
2 good-sized potatoes
1 small onion, chopped finely
3 tbsp. butter (use Irish if you can get it)
2 tbsp. flour
Shredded cheddar to taste
Celery salt to taste
Cider vinegar to taste (optional)
Chunk up the potatoes, cover with water, and boil until soft.
While the potatoes cook, saute the onion in the butter until it is clear and starts to caramelize. Add the flour and heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture starts to brown and smells like heaven.
When the potatoes are fork-tender, shut off the heat and whisk them until they disintegrate in the cooking water. Add the onion mixture and continue to whisk until the soup reaches a nice, thick texture. If it’s too thick, add a little water to thin it; if it’s too thin, simmer it for a while with the lid off, stirring frequently, until it thickens up.
To serve, put a handful of shredded cheddar in the bottom of your bowl, then add the soup and stir to melt the cheese. Season with celery salt to taste. The original recipe suggests adding a few drops of vinegar to each bowl, which is something I wouldn’t have considered, but it actually works pretty well, especially if you like salt and vinegar potato chips.
I’ll be making a batch of this soup for lunch today to chase off the shivers, as Tucumcari — like much of the country — is in the middle of a nasty cold snap.
Hope you’re warm and have something nice for lunch, wherever you are.
Emily
Red Fork Hippie 