Potato Cheese Soup

You know those kids who happily eat (or, at least, TRY) any food that’s put before them? Well, unfortunately, none of them lives in my house. My children have never exactly been culinarily curious.

I suppose I should have insisted like June Cleaver did on Leave It To Beaver when The Beav refused to try his Brussels sprouts. Mom & Dad made him stay at the table until he took a bite. Naturally, he grudgingly sampled one, loved it, and everyone rejoiced in the glow of Brussels sprout bliss.

Often times I’ve felt like a short order cook – making one meal for my husband and me, and one for the kids (sometimes each child even got his own selection). This may sound like a lot of work, but for me it was just simpler to crank out the food so I could enjoy dinner without the wheedling, bribing, threats, and anger.

There were, thankfully, a few meals that satisfied the entire family. It goes without saying that I prepared those frequently.

Potato Cheese Soup is high on the preferred list. Not only is it easy to prepare, but because it’s creamed in a blender (or food processor), you can add in a little spinach, etc., and the kids will never know. (We moms have to be a bit sneaky – it’s for their own good….they’ll thank us later.) Also, you can plop in broccoli or cauliflower – the soup is kind of like a cheese sauce.

As noted, this recipe requires a blender or food processor. I haven’t nagged about owning one or both of these appliances in awhile, so with the after-holiday sales, I’ll suggest these items go on your purchase list, if you don’t already own them. Both are invaluable in the kitchen. I use my food processor and blender nearly everyday.

POTATO CHEESE SOUP – makes  7 – 8 cups

• 3 T butter
• 2 cups onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 tsp garlic, pressed
• about 1¾ pounds unpeeled russet potatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 large unpeeled carrot, coarsely chopped
• 3 cups vegetable stock, purchased or homemade (recipe:  https://vegcookingforcarnivoresblog.com/2014/04/14/back-to-basics-vegetable-stock/)
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1 cup milk (I use nonfat)
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 5 oz cheese, shredded (I use medium cheddar)

Melt butter in a stockpot. Sauté onions and garlic over a medium flame for about 7 minutes, stirring often. Add in the potatoes and carrots, and continue to sauté another 10 minutes.

Add in the stock, dill, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn down flame to simmer the soup. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender – test with a fork.

Remove the lid and let cool about 10 minutes – you don’t want to put boiling liquid in your blender. Pour in milk.

Purée the soup in a blender or food processor.  You will probably have to do this in batches and, because of this, a second pot will be needed into which you empty the puréed batches.

Melt in the shredded cheese over a low heat.

This soup is delicious served with homemade French bread – https://vegcookingforcarnivoresblog.com/2014/05/18/ooo-la-la-les-baguettes-tres-simple/