#potatosoup

Slow Cooker Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes

- 6 slices bacon

- 3 pounds red potatoes, chopped

- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

- 1 tablespoon Ranch Seasoning and Salad Dressing Mix

- 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Spread bacon in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until brown and crispy, about 12-14 minutes. Let cool before crumbling; set aside.

3. Line a slow cooker with aluminum foil, leaving enough to overhang to wrap the potatoes on top, and coat with nonstick spray. Place a layer of potatoes evenly into the slow cooker. Top with cheese, Ranch Seasoning and bacon, repeating 2 more times and reserving 1/2 cup cheese.

https://www.fromachefskitchen.com/cauliflower-potato-soup-smoked-gouda/

So here is my first recipe.

First of all: I'm not a chef or anything like that. However, I love to cook since I was a kid and I like to try things, aka I throw things in the pot that I think will taste good together and I'm rarely disappointed.

Second: I hate soups. So it is quite surprising to post a recipe for a soup here. But I swear to God, I think I'm in love.

While I wrote "Potatosoup and pouring rain" I had a recipe for potato soup in mind. And what do we do when we are depressed and sick? Right! We stand in the kitchen for hours trying out what our heads are brewing. Ok, am I the only one? Well, at least let me tell you about this potato soup.

I would be really happy about your feedback!

And now: here is the recipe from "Potatosoup and pouring rain"

What you need (for about 2 people)

2-3 pork neck steaks (or 2-3 smoked tofu for those who want to avoid meat)

3 mealy potatoes

3 waxy potatoes

2 large carrots

1 really small parsley root

Vegetable broth (I used powder, 1.5 heaped teaspoons, for about 300ml)

oil for frying

1 large onion

2 cloves of garlic

cream (later to refine the soup)

water

Utils

A pot (obviously)

cooking spoon

spoon

knife

cutting board

blender

Ok, then let's get started.

Step 1:

Of course you have to get all the ingredients in the first step, otherwise cooking could be difficult.

Step 2:

In the next step we peel the potatoes, carrots, parsley root, onions and garlic. Take the steaks out of the packaging and rinse them thoroughly, then dry them well. The meat has to be really, really dry! Otherwise it won't cook properly.

Step 3:

Now grab your sword, dagger, lightsaber, or other sharp cutting tool (don't hurt yourself, darling! Bloodstains are hard to clean.)

You cut the meat into small cubes (bite-sized, after all it is a soup, you rarely eat it with a knife and fork to cut something.)

Cut the mealy potatoes, half of the waxy potatoes and one carrot into large pieces. You don't have to win a beauty contest with them, the little things are pureed later, so it's what's on the inside that counts, as always.

Cut the other half of the carrots and waxy potatoes into small cubes, no larger than 1cm (you won't puree them)

Quarter the onions (don't cry honey, they're not worth it), leave the garlic as it is, you can crush it with the flat side of your cutting tool.

The parsley root is also cut in half only once. We don't need much, it tastes very intense. If you're not sure, leave them out and use just a few parsley leaves later to serve.

Step 4:

It's getting hot in here! Literally. Now put the pot on the stove and heat it. It should get really really hot. Then add the oil or butter (depending on what you prefer to use for frying). You can also (if you have it and want it) use the rind of smoked pork belly, which gives it a special flavor. But that is not mandatory. Then fry the meat cubes until they are evenly browned. Don't worry if there is a 'brown' layer at the bottom of the pot when frying. Those are wonderful flavors (as long as the layer doesn't burn and turn black) and that's exactly the flavors we want!

As soon as the meat is seared, take it out of the pot with a spoon (leave as much of the fat leftover from searing in the pot as possible)

Now you can add a dash of oil or butter and sauté the onions and garlic until the color has also taken on. That goes in a bowl too (not with the meat!) and you leave as much fat in the pot as possible again.

You repeat the whole thing with the small waxy potatoes and the diced carrots, as soon as they are nicely browned you can put them in the bowl with the meat.

By now you should have a nice brown layer full of roasting flavors at the bottom of the pot. Perfect! We want exactly these flavors!

Step 5:

Now put the remaining potatoes, carrots and the small piece of parsley root in the pot and fill it with water until the vegetables are just covered. You can always add water later if the soup is too thick. When the water is bubbling slightly, you can try to gently stir the sediment with a wooden spoon. You'll quickly notice if everything has come off the bottom of your pot, don't worry. I use instant broth powder. I don't know if that's a German thing or if it's worldwide. If you don't have something like that, you can also pour about 300 ml of vegetable broth over the vegetables and fill the rest with water. If you use powder then about 1.5 heaped teaspoons should be ok. You better use a little less seasoning, you can always spice it up later. You can also add the onions and garlic while cooking to give the soup an even more intense onion-garlic flavor. But it's enough if you only add them at the end.

Now everything is boiled up. If the water is boiling, feel free to turn the heat down to medium, but it must always be simmering. Now you have about 20 minutes. During this time you can, for example, do the dishes, practice handstands, make plans for world domination, or read my fanfiction "Potatosoup and pouring rain". ;)

Step 6:

The potatoes and carrots should now be soft by now. You can try a piece. If it's still hard, let it simmer for a few more minutes. If you didn't add the onions at the beginning, do it now. When the vegetables are cooked soft, you take the pot off the stove.

IMPORTANT! DO NOT POUR THE WATER! IT'S FULL OF FLAVOR WE NEED!

When the pot is off the stove, we take the hand blender and puree everything until you can no longer tell what it was.

Now you can refine the soup. If it's too thick you can add a little more water, broth or cream, you can season the soup a bit (as you may have noticed I don't use pepper, I hate pepper so now is the time to use it). If you like the soup, add the meat and the fried carrots and potatoes and boil everything together one last time.

Et voilà!

Cielie's potato soup is ready to be served. Baguette is perfect for dipping.

If you are vegetarian or vegan: you can replace the meat with smoked tofu!

If you cook the recipe, let me know and tell me how you liked the soup! Comments, ideas and feedback is always welcome!

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed and coarsely chopped

1 potato, chopped into 1.5 cm dice

large sprig of rosemary (or other herb/s of choice)

2 cups of vegetable stock

1 400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 400g tin borlotti beans (or similar), drained and rinsed

3 leaves of kale, washed, stem removed, leaves torn into bite sizes pieces

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

Salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Method:

Saute the onion in a few Tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan at a medium-low heat until translucent and softened.

Add the garlic and rosemary and saute for a couple of minutes

Add the potato and saute until the edges are lightly cooked - some potato may stick to the pan too

Add the stock and stir to lift any food stuck to the bottom - this will add flavour. Add the beans, add more water to cover the beans, then place a lid on top. When the soup comes to the boil, reduce the heat to leave at a simmer for 30 minutes.

At 30 minutes, test the potato for doneness by crushing on the side of the pan with the spoon. Crush the potato and beans a few times in this way - this releases starch to thicken the soup. Add kale, nutritional yeast, and seasoning to taste, and let simmer for 10 more minutes (or until kale is tender). If the soup is still thin, lift the lid slightly to allow it to evaporate a little.