Yukon Gold Potato Soup

I had originally planned to post last night's dinner, which was salmon with a yogurt-dill sauce, but we were so "underwhelmed" as Q put it (code for "tastes like crap") that I decided to spare myself reliving the experience by sharing the recipe. A total yuck. So today I threw together a totally creamy but chunky, rich and hearty potato soup/chowder. I loved the fact that you don't puree this one but can actually see what you're eating and I was also pretty sure the kiddies would like all the ingredients and wouldn't be trying to separate the celery from the onion, and so on. I plan to serve it with some slabs of fresh ciabatta... and if they're really good chil'uns tonight, I might even make it into garlic cheese bread to go alongside. Time will tell. A nice fall evening dinner.



Yukon Gold Potato Soup
serves 4

3 medium Yukon gold potatoes
4 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp bacon grease
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 pinch fresh thyme
3 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp flour
8 oz milk
4-5 sliced cooked, crisp bacon

Dice potatoes into bite-sized pieces, put into stock pot and add chicken stock. Add enough water to cover potatoes. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
In medium frying pan, add bacon grease, onion, celery, thyme, salt, pepper and bacon. Saute until onions are soft (about 7 mins) and add to pot with potatoes and broth.
Add butter and flour to empty frying pan on medium heat and make roux. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Once roux has thickened, add to potato mixture and simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes.

Rest of the week
Sept 17 Carb-loading pre-triathlon dinner of pesto linguine with cherry tomatoes and arugula
Sept 18 Post-triathlon celebration dinner at Gabby's
Sept 19 Salmon fillets with dill sauce and roasted broccoli
Sept 20 Yukon Gold potato soup