Cream of Potato Soup

This is a very soothing soup. It's cozy and hearty and warming. It will not give you a hug, tell you you've lost weight or do your laundry for you. But, when you need the gustatory equivalent of a cozy seat by a warm fire, this can work. This recipe makes 4-5 generous servings.

Cream of Potato Soup

• 1 medium onion, chopped coarse
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped coarse
• 6-7 cups of chicken broth, vegetable, water w/a boullion cube - (tonight I used 4 cups of homemade chicken broth, 2 cups of water and an Italian boullion cube)
• 4 medium (about 2.5 pounds total) baking potatoes, peeled and chopped into largeish chunks - about 8 pieces per potato
• 1/2 -1 cup chicken broth, milk, cream, yogurt or buttermilk - to thin the soup

Saute onion and garlic with a few tablespoons of oil and/or butter in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat until softened. Add liquid (broth and/or water) to soup pot and bring liquid to a boil.

When the liquid is boiling, add the potatoes. Simmer the potatoes until soft all the way through. Use a blender or immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth.

Depending on how you like your soup, you may need/want to add some more broth or some milk or cream to thin the soup down to the appropriate "soupy" consistency.

Serve with your choice of garnishes. Garnishes can include:

• Shredded or crumbled cheese: cheddar, montery jack, blue, goat
• Sliced scallions or chives
• Bacon, pancetta or ham, cut small and cooked crisp
• Diced tomatoes
• Minced herbs: parsley, dill, oregano, thyme
• Potato skins: peel your potatoes, toss the biggest peeling pieces with oil or melted butter, and crisp in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes
• Etc., etc., etc.

This week our soup was garnished with parsley, scallions, pancetta, blue cheese and crispy potato skins.