42. Irish Potato Soup

I received a free copy of Sandra Lee’s new Semi-Homemade Magazine. Sandra Lee believes in taking short cuts by using prepared foods, adding your own touches, and presenting wonderful meals. This recipe was in the magazine. I guess the shortcut in this recipe is the prepared chicken broth…but haven’t I been using that all along? Who has time to make their own chicken broth??

Irish Potato Soup

2 tablespoons butter
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 ½ pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and chopped
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, Sargento
1 cup chopped green onion
11/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Garnish: shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, sliced green onion

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic; cook for 4 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Add potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally until soup is thick and only small chunks of potato remain. Add cheese, green onion, salt, and pepper stirring until cheese is melted. Garnish with cheese and green onion, if desired.


Changes and Shortcuts: I peeled and cut up the potatoes the night before. This time I covered them with water before storing them in the refrigerator. When it was time to cook them, all I had to do was poor off the water and they were good to go! I also cut up the onion, celery, and garlic and stored them in a separate bowl. Believe it or not, the store I went to didn’t seem to have green onions, so I left them out.

Results: This soup took a little longer than I wanted to spend after getting home late from work. After cooking the soup for 45 minutes the potatoes were soft and cooked through, but the soup wasn’t thick like the one in the picture. I took a potato masher and mashed some of the potatoes in the soup. (It could be that since I soaked the potatoes over night some of the starch soaked out and I poured it down the drain.) Once I added the cheese it really took on the form that I was looking for. I probably added more cheese than the recipe called for because I couldn’t find the bag of cheese I thought I bought so I put in whatever I had in the refrigerator. The green onions would have added a little extra texture, but the soup was good without it.

Keeper? YES!