Homemade Potato Soup

Homemade Potato Soup

One of the greatest things I have come to enjoy in our homesteading life is making meals that use our own homegrown ingredients.  I recently made a potato soup that exceeded that goal for me.

As fall settles in and we head into November, nothing warms the soul than a good hearty soup.  After a few days of cold wet drizzle, a warm fire and a hot bowl of potato soup really hit the spot.

The soup I make is a variation of a few recipes.  I am one of those people who starts with one recipe and then I add or subtract as I like until I come up with my own variation.  I am no chef, I’ve just learned through out the years not to get overly caught up in following recipes word for word.homemade potato soup recipe

It is for that reason when you come to my house, you will find lots of cookbooks but very few recipes I actually follow completely.

That is the case with this potato soup.  And the fact that we grew, raised and made almost all the ingredients in this soup just makes it that much better.

And there you have it.  A nice hearty potato soup made with all natural ingredients.

Don’t think you can do the same?  I thought so once myself.  But it truly isn’t that difficult.  Even if you don’t grow or raise your own food, you can get the same quality from buying local.

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Homemade Potato Soup
Author: 
Recipe type: Soups and Salads
Cuisine: Main Dish
 
One of the greatest things I have come to enjoy in our homesteading life is making meals that use our own homegrown ingredients. I recently made a potato soup that exceeded that goal for me. As fall settles in and we head into November, nothing warms the soul than a good hearty soup. After a few days of cold wet drizzle, a warm fire and a hot bowl of potato soup really hit the spot. The soup I make is a variation of a few recipes. I am one of those people who starts with one recipe and then I add or subtract as I like until I come up with my own variation. I am no chef, I’ve just learned through out the years not to get overly caught up in following recipes word for word. It is for that reason when you come to my house, you will find lots of cookbooks but very few recipes I actually follow completely. That is the case with this potato soup. And the fact that we grew, raised and made almost all the ingredients in this soup just makes it that much better. And there you have it. A nice hearty potato soup made with all natural ingredients. Don’t think you can do the same? I thought so once myself. But it truly isn’t that difficult. Even if you don’t grow or raise your own food, you can get the same quality from buying local.
Ingredients
  • 1lb bacon (or, if you are like me, whatever size package you happen to have in the freezer from that pig you butchered.)
  • 1 medium onion (from the garden...check!)
  • 3 cloves of garlic minced or chopped small (from the garden….check!)
  • 5-6 good size potatoes, peeled and cubed. (we grew red bliss potatoes this year. Since they were small, I used what I thought was equal to this.)
  • 4 cups of chicken broth (Yep...made the broth with our own chickens!)
  • 3 Tbs Thyme (dried from our herb garden. You can also try substituting other herbs here.)
  • 3 Tbs flour (You got me!...I did not make the flour.)
  • 1 cup milk (I used our own raw goat milk...mmmm….creamy!)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese with more for garnish. (I did buy the shredded cheese. We do make our own cheddar cheese, we just didn’t have any ready to take out of the cheese cave.)
Instructions
  1. Cook up the bacon and set the bacon aside to use as a garnish.
  2. In the hot bacon grease, sauté the onions, garlic and herbs for about 3 minutes or until the onions are soft and slightly browned.
  3. Add in the flour and stir until combined.
  4. Add half the chicken broth and stir until thick and bubbly.
  5. Add your potatoes to the crock pot.
  6. Pour the chicken broth mixture over the potatoes, add the remaining chicken broth and stir together.
  7. Cook on high for about 5 hours or until you can start to mash the potatoes.
  8. Using a potato masher, mash potatoes to make the soup creamy. They don’t have to be all mashed. Leave the texture how you would like it.
  9. Add the cup of milk and cheddar and stir. Let heat until cheese is melted.
  10. Salt and pepper to taste.
  11. Garnish your soup with bacon bits and shredded cheese.
  12. And there you have it. A nice hearty potato soup made with all natural ingredients.