My grandfather Ralph was the greatest man I knew. Potatoes, whether playing One Potato, Two Potatoes, Three Potatoes, Four or helping him harvest them from his garden, will always remind me of him. Like Papa, potatoes are simple, nourishing, comforting, and emotionally filling. On the day of his funeral, I read the following poem and tucked a copy into his jacket pocket which laid right beside his favorite New York Yankees baseball cap. I will live forever with the nostalgia of playing in his yard, sitting with him on the porch swing, and receiving his loving hugs which included strong pats on the back. Through the car's back window, I will continue to watch as he waves and gently cries until I am long out of view. Thankfully I have memories of us longer than the road that stretches out before me.
Memories of a Granddaughter
From the corner brick house that I adored
To knowing where the chocolate was stored
The comfort you gave with a gentle embrace
A reassuring smile on your weathered face
Warm buttered biscuits and Donald Duck juice
Released from parents, allowed to run loose
Summers in the garden, assembling mud cakes
Studying you labor with plows and rakes
Red light, green light on the front lawn
Sounds of coffee percolating at dawn
White bread sliced with red ripe tomatoes
Corn stalks growing, a cellar of potatoes
Fresh laundry drying outside on the line
Swaying on a high stool ‘til dinnertime
My imagination found in the old blue car
Occupied for hours without traveling far
The scent of your pipe while I sat on your knee
As we watched the Yankees play ball on TV
Visits from cousins, endless amounts of play
Crying in the driveway long after we pull away
Your arm around me on the backyard swing
These are a few of my favorite things.
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 6 strips (uncooked) bacon cut into small pieces
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ lbs. gold potatoes peeled and diced into pieces no larger than 1”*see note below for crispy potato skins
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups milk
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder*
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- Shredded cheddar cheese, chives, and additional sour cream and bacon for topping optional
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place 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 fat in the pot.
- Add butter and chopped onion and cook over medium heat until onions are tender (3-5 minutes).
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Sprinkle the flour over the ingredients in the pot and stir until smooth (use a whisk if needed).
- Add diced potatoes to the pot along with chicken broth, milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and ancho chili powder. Stir well.
- Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork (about 10 minutes).
- Reduce heat to simmer and remove approximately half*** of the soup to a blender (be careful, it will be hot!) and puree until smooth (half is about 5 cups of soup, but just eyeballing the amount will be fine. Alternatively you can use an immersion blender.).
- Return the pureed soup to the pot and add sour cream and reserved bacon pieces, stir well.
- Allow soup to simmer for 15 minutes before serving.
- Top with additional sour cream, bacon, cheddar cheese, or scallions.
Notes
*If you want to make crispy potato skins, add potatoes to a large baking tray and stab each one a few times with a fork. Coat in a drizzle of oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Bake in the oven at 400F for 1 hour, or until deep golden, crispy and soft right through the center (timings will depend on the size of the potatoes, so just be vigilant). Once the potatoes are cooked and are cool enough to handle, slice each one into 4 wedges. Scoop the potato out of each wedge and place it into a bowl to one side. Place the leftover skins back on the baking tray and coat in a drizzle of olive oil and a good pinch of salt & pepper. Place back in the oven at the highest temp it goes for around 5mins, or until visibly crispy.
*If you haven't used ancho chili powder before, I recommend starting with 1/4 teaspoon and then taste-testing before increasing to 1/2 teaspoon if you like the taste.
**If you want a completely creamy soup you can puree all of it, just puree in batches, about half of the soup at a time. I prefer my potato soup with actual chunks of potatoes and prefer to puree just half of it.
