Name: The Ultimate Potato Soup Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 6 strips uncooked bacon, cut into small pieces; 3 tablespoons butter (unsalted or salted); 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1.5 cup/200g); 3 large garlic cloves, minced; ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (42g); 2 ½ lbs gold potatoes, peeled and diced into pieces no larger than 1 inch (about 6 large potatoes/1.15kg); 4 cups chicken broth (945ml); 2 cups milk (475ml); ⅔ cup heavy cream (155ml); 1 ½ teaspoons salt; 1 teaspoon ground pepper; ¼ to ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder; ⅔ cup sour cream (160g); Shredded cheddar cheese (optional for topping); Chives (optional for topping); Additional sour cream (optional for topping); Additional cooked bacon (optional for topping)

Description

This Ultimate Potato Soup recipe is a creamy, comforting dish made with crispy bacon, golden potatoes, and a blend of milk and cream for richness. It features tender potato chunks with a smooth, velvety base, gently spiced with ancho chili powder, and topped with cheddar cheese, chives, and more bacon for perfect indulgence.

Instructions

Cook Bacon: Place the bacon pieces in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat and cook until bacon is crisp and browned. Remove bacon pieces and set aside, leaving the bacon fat in the pot.
Sauté Onions: Add butter and chopped onion to the pot with bacon fat and cook over medium heat until onions are tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add Garlic: Stir in minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Make Roux: Sprinkle the all-purpose flour over the onion and garlic mixture, stirring constantly until smooth and fully incorporated, using a whisk if needed.
Add Potatoes and Liquids: Add diced potatoes along with chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and ancho chili powder to the pot. Stir well to combine.
Cook Potatoes: Bring the soup to a boil, then cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes.
Puree Half Soup: Reduce the heat to simmer. Carefully remove about half of the soup (about 5 cups) and puree it until smooth in a blender or with an immersion blender. Return the pureed soup to the pot.
Finish Soup: Stir in the sour cream and the reserved crispy bacon pieces. Allow the soup to simmer gently for 15 minutes to blend flavors.
Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and top with additional sour cream, cooked bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and chives if desired. Enjoy your ultimate potato soup!

Notes

Start with 1 ½ teaspoons of salt but adjust to taste depending on your broth’s saltiness.
If unfamiliar with ancho chili powder, begin with ¼ teaspoon and increase after tasting for desired warmth.
For a fully creamy texture, puree all of the soup in batches instead of just half.
Use an immersion blender for easier and safer pureeing directly in the pot.
Using gold potatoes keeps the soup creamy while maintaining some chunkiness.