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Rustic Potato Chowder Recipe
December 28, 2005 | 30 Comments
My intent was to write about making homemade mozzarella today - warm, creamy, baby fresh mozzarella. Unfortunately, my premier batch was so rubbery it could have bounced off the tile floor in the kitchen and put a hole in the ceiling. So, while I work on my cheese-making technique, I'll instead offer up one of my favorite cold-weather potato chowder recipes (it is the one that was on the cover of my book).
A few chunky soup making tips:
- Big, chunky soups also make good pot pie fillings. Scoop the vegetables and goodies up with a slotted spoon, let most of the liquid drain off and use them as a flavor-packed filling.
- Make soups like this one in big batches and you will have leftovers all week.
- When I have a warm, creamy soup I like to counterbalance it with a toss of something crunchy and crisp. In this case it is chopped, crisp Smart Bacon - but I also like fried shallots, crunchy noodles, croutons, etc.
- Invite friends or neighbors over to share a big pot on a stormy night.
- Designate a soup night once a week. You could actually cook your way through fifty new soups in one year.
This soup is super easy. Totally doable on a weeknight, and chances are you have the bulk of the ingredients on hand already.
Rustic Potato Chowder Recipe
8 to 10 slices Smart Bacon (or real bacon if you're not-veg)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 shallots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups diced, unpeeled new potatoes, any color (1/4-inch dice)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 cups organic milk (low-fat is fine)
1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
another 1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepperfresh chives and/or chive flowers
Create the base: In a large pot cook the Smart Bacon according to package instructions, until browned and crisp. Cool and chop into small pieces. Set aside.
Add ingredients and simmer: In the same pot over medium-high heat, add the extra-virgin olive oil, onions, shallots, and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes, or until the onions start to get soft.
Add the diced potatoes and teaspoon of salt and saute for about two minutes. Now add the mustard and milk. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the soup thickens and the potatoes are soft throughout.
Whisk and season: Whisk in the Gruyere cheese, another teaspoon of salt, and a couple pinches of pepper. Garnish with the bacon, fresh chives, and/or chive flowers.
Makes about six big bowls.
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Your Comments
Happy New Year Heidi! This soup sounds delicious and a nice change from the Holiday fare...creamy and oh so satisfying, potato soups are one of the ultimate comfort foods. I will add this one to my collection and hope to try later this week.
Cheers from the Snowy Canadian Prairies!
this sounds so wonderful and comforting, especially during our new york winter. i'll make a note to try it out this january. happy new year!
That sounds like my kind of soup - thick and creamy! I really like your idea of having a once a week soup night - a great idea for cold winter nights.
numm that sounds really tasty (:
This is a wonderful recipe. We live in Louisiana and it's nearly 80 today but a hearty bowl of soup like this is perfect when you come in to the air conditioning after a few hours of yard work. Keep working on that mozzarella. I really want to try it after you remove the learning curve.
Heidi this sound so delicious. Wanted to try a new twist on potato soup (which is an all time favorite of mine). This is perfect! Thank you and Happy New Year!
Heidi this sound so delicious. Wanted to try a new twist on potato soup (which is an all time favorite of mine). This is perfect! Thank you and Happy New Year!
I always keep home roasted garlic in the freezer; I squeezed 8 cloves into this fabulous recipe. I used almond milk for the cows', 2 t Dijon and 1 t dry mustard, a healthy dash of 4-color pepper, half the cheese, half the "bacon" and added croutons as you suggested, garlic pita ones - absolutely divine!
I'm making another batch today as I watch the snow fly. I'm leaving out the milk and cheese for now and storing the concentrate in the freezer in single portions for later use.
Can't wait for the mozzerella. I've had the same experience. Best wishes for peace and prosperity to Heidi and all in the New Year
i made it and its great its a recipe that everyone loves !!!
My wife made this recipe for lunch...thank you, thank you, thank you! :)
Heidi, I love chowders. Fantastic!! It has been so cold in England over the last few days and I have been making soup all week. Incidentally I was trying to think of what to make for tomorrow.Well, now I now. The tips are great. It's a great idea to share things.
Thanks once again.
This sounds really good...Is there a way to put this in a crockpot recipe for a 3 1/2 quart crockpot?
Thanks
Heidi,
I like that you share your little failures with us, as well as your successes.
i got a cheese making kit for xmas from my sister, but she lost the book with the recipes!
when you finally master the mozza, could you post the recipe by any chance?
its a dream of mine as well!!!!
This sounds so good, Heidi. Winter always puts me into soup-making mode.
Sounds great! I love potatoe soup and am always looking for new versions to try. Thanks Heidi
Yummy stuff
I love these sorts of recipes.
Too bad its summer here.
I love that you include a bit of mustard in the soup, I bet it really perks it up.
As for the cheese making, my first (and, I admit, only) try had the same results. We ended up putting the rubber balls in the smoker as a last resort before tossing them out. LOL
I hope your next batch comes out perfectly, I would love to hear the trick!
-Rachael
Does anyone know if Russet potatoes would work in this recipe? Thanks!
Yumm...
My mouth is watering!
I will try this Rustic Potatao Chowder as we like hot soups in the winter and I am always looking for something different than the old traditional soups. So, I will let you know how we like this one, it sound so good.
Barb
Really tasty - and heavy! Don't make any plans after this one, you'll just want to sit and smile. But then, maybe my measurements were off? Being metric (and German), it seems odd that cups are used to measure both volume and weight. So I estimated two pounds of new potatos, a liter of milk (I only had cow's, and then full fat (3.5%), so that will have added some weight), and half a pound of cheese. Any advice on converting cups to metric?
Hi Mytai, russets will work fine. Dave, I think this will work in a 3 1/2 quart crockpot, although I don't test the soups that way. Give it a shot and report back.
Marc, I would scale back a bit on the cheese next time - just a generous handful freshly grated should do the trick, also feel free to thin it out with a bit of broth if your version came out a bit heavy - thin it little by little until it is the consistency you prefer. -h
it iz not nice...
dis iz stupidg
FORGET IT...I KNOW ALL ABOUT THESE THINGS
this soup sounds so yummy! :) i'm definitely gonna try this recipe!
I've been dying to make potato soup. I'm not very experienced in the soup making department. I find it a bit intimidating, the thought of making it from scratch - fear of the unknown I suppose. This sounds very doable & fantastic. I'm intrigued by the addition of dijon, I have some picky eaters though, but I'm sure it would still be good even if I have to omit the dijon. Can't wait to try this!
I bought all of the ingredients for this chowder in preparation of making it on Jan. 1 to eat while watching the Bears game. Well, I had a little, okay a lot, too much fun on New Year's Eve, so my wonderful husband made the chowder for me. It was amazing! Just what I needed to soothe my incredible hangover. Thanks for posting such a great recipe. I love your site, but this is the first time I've actually had anything made that I read about. I'll definitely be making more in the future!
I really enjoy all the recipes and not only me...but my family, we love your site, thank you for helping me find that cooking isn't that hard and boring...actually it's fun!
I'm not sure how I came across your site but I just tried this recipe and it's absolutely delicious! I am always trying out new soup recipes. I look forward to trying some of your other recipes!
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