Potato Soup

[Aunt Jen]

Potato Soup the BEST!!!! This will feed the whole POSEY

The first thing you want to do is fry up 1 pound of bacon. In my experience, any recipe that starts with frying a pound of bacon is going to be good. I like to cut the bacon into one inch strips before I fry it. If you want, you can fry it whole, then crumble it into the soup later. In the stock pot you will make your soup with, fry the bacon extra crispy, otherwise it will be like biting into a blob of fat in the soup.

Drain the grease and leave some bacony goodness in the pot. Put the bacon in the fridge for later

Then you want to peel 5 lbs of potatoes, and cube them int 1 inch chunks or so. I like to boil my soup for 2-3 hrs to (or all day in a slow cooker) thicken it. If you want any chunks of potato left, cut them at least 1". Then you want to cut up 2 large onions. 5 stalks of celery. 5 carrots. I like to slice them thin. Put them all in the pot and cover with water. Turn on the stove and bring to a rolling boil. Next, we add our seasonings. Then throw in 12 chicken bouillon cubes. 3 1/2 tsp salt. 2 tsp fresh ground pepper. A couple spoonfuls of minced garlic. 3 1/2 tsp basil leaves then add 1 tsp crushed red pepper. 5 tsp Franks Hot Sauce. (Trust me)

Stir all the ingredients in. I bring the soup to a rolling boil uncovered, then I turn it down a bit to just a steady low boil covered for 2-3 hrs or so. It does not have to be a heavy boil the whole time. Keep an eye on your soup and if it starts getting too thick, add some water right away and reduce it to a simmer. Clean up the kitchen and pour yourself a cold beer.

Get out your guns and go shoot for a while.

After boiling a few hrs it will thicken nicely. I like to thicken by boiling instead of adding flour. If you are short on time you could do that, but I dont think it tastes as good. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir in the bacon that you fried earlier. Add 3/4 stick of butter. Or, what the hell, throw it all in if you want. Stir in some whipping cream. I use the whole pint.

Let it simmer for a half hour or so, then enjoy your soup!

"Well, Kid, the kitchen is yours this round."

 

The kid happily takes over in the kitchen, while the hoard in the saloon start lickin' their chops again.

 

"Ain't this the best place?" one of 'em says to another over cards.

 

With a stomach full of comfort from the last bowl, everyone agreed.

 

Aunt Jen, getting a little time off, sat in a chair by the window and looked at the mud in the street. The rain was gone, and it was sad. The mud— Well, it just wasn't as romantic as the rain.

 

She felt someone put a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to look. It could have been anyone, but it was him. "Yeah, sure," she said with a tired smile, and decided to get up and serve folks a few drinks.