Gram's Potato Soup, Lightened Up
Soup is the best. There, I said it. Now, let me explain. Soup is the best because:
- It’s usually pretty easy to make, even if you aren’t a chef.
- It’s often budget-friendly. You don’t have to have prime cuts of meat, a ton of ingredients, etc. to make a good soup.
- It can help you cut back on waste. Think about your leftover veggie tray from a party. You could toss in some meat, along with your broth of choice, and you have yourself a hearty vegetable beef soup. Voila!
- Making soup is a great way to slip healthy foods (often veggies) into your kid’s (and your husband's) diet without them ever realizing.
- And my favorite reason is that soup is one of the most versatile meals that exist. Think about it, there are creamy soups, chunky soups, broth-based soups, soups with meat, soups with only veggies, soups with fruit, soups that will thaw you out on a bitter winter’s day, and even chilled soups that will cool you down during the warmer months.
Don’t underestimate the power of soup.
Of course, there are other things to consider. It’s all well and good when you’re trying to mask healthy treats from your picky eaters, but you have to keep in mind that soups make it easy to hide less healthy items, too. For example, it can be easy to forget that you’re basically eating an entire block of cheese when it’s melted throughout a broccoli cheddar soup.
This brings me to my Gram’s potato soup. I remember coming in from playing in the snow to, not only a house so warm from the wood-stove that your face would nearly melt, but the smell of Gram’s potato soup. It was creamy, stick-to-your-bones goodness that everyone loved.
I’m confident that Gram used at least one and a half balls of fresh, homemade butter (think sticks of butter, but in a ball, Amish-style). I can almost guarantee that the milk in the soup was the same that we’d pasteurized in the countertop pasteurizer that day, heavy top cream included. And if that’s not enough to make you gain weight just from reading this, she’d serve it with a dab of butter on top and for some odd, but heavenly reason, a slice of fresh pizza from the local general store.
Gram’s potato soup was decadent, to say the least, and potentially the cause of some of Grandpa Boz’s clogged arteries. Needless to say, knowing what I do now about what we put into our bodies, you’d be right to guess that I don’t make Gram’s soup very often. But it has been cold and dreary lately, and you guessed it, I’ve been craving Gram’s potato soup.
Since Justin and I are starting our yearly cleanse on February 1, there is no way I’m indulging in Gram’s potato soup. But here's the thing, I also can’t go on (literally can’t even) without it. So, I’ve decided to lighten it up and make it a bit more digestive system friendly.
Here's what you’ll need:
- One large onion, about a cup, small diced (you can use fresh leeks if you’re feeling frisky)
- Two tablespoons of ghee, divided
- One 5 pound bag of white potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and cut into one-inch pieces
- Three cups of milk (I used lactose-free milk, but you’re welcome to use regular or even cream if you’re doing it up Gram style)
- One cup of the water you’ve boiled your potatoes in, be careful not to burn yourself
- Fresh chives, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste (I put some in with the onions and again once the soup is actually soup)
Grab your soup pot and fill it with cold water, enough to boil your potatoes in, use your best judgment here. While the water heats, scrub, peel, and dice your potatoes. Dice them so that they are approximately one-inch squares. Keeping the size consistent is key for even cooking.
Boil the potatoes until cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes once they are boiling.
When the potatoes are done, reserve a cup of the water and then dump the potatoes in a strainer.
In your soup pot, melt one tablespoon of the ghee. Toss in your diced onion and sauté until translucent, but don’t let them get too brown.
Put your potatoes into the pot with the onions, adding the other tablespoon of ghee and two cups of the milk. Using a mixer, whip until the potatoes are creamy and lump free. Add the reserved water and the milk and mix again. You’ll continue to add liquid, whether it be more milk or more potato water, and mix until the soup reaches the consistency you desire.
I used my new KitchenAid immersion blender. It was the first time I’ve used it and it was awesome. However, I do recommend using a regular handheld mixer instead.
Once it’s done, ladle the hot potato soup into your soup bowls and sprinkle with chopped chives. You’ll notice that I also topped it with some fresh parmesan shavings. You can top it with anything you like, get creative! We’ve done scallions, bacon and cheddar in the past.
Heirloom Tip: A cold bowl means cold soup, and that’s just unacceptable! Warm your soup bowls in a low heat oven for a few minutes before serving, or keep your bowls out on top of the stove while you’re making the soup (this works great if you’re using a gas stove). Enjoy!