Six Sisters Disneyland Potato Soup

Adapted: Six Sisters

We are heading into St. Patrick's Day and I love it!! I love the foods and drinks of St. Pat's and plan a nice little selection for The Pub and Grub Forum this month. I happen to come across this recipe on the Six Sisters website. I had planned on making a couple of soup recipes for the month and knew a potato soup was on the roster. I thought this one would fit well. As expected, I did make a couple of changes.

So here we go:

Ingredients:

1 pound bacon, roughly chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
25 baby carrots, chopped~I like using baby carrots in my dishes. I think they cook more consistently
2-3 celery stalks diced
13 small to medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced (see note)
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
3 Tablespoons Paula Deen's House Seasoning (Revamped)~See PGF recipe archive
4 cups heavy whipping cream or 2 cups heavy whipped cream and 2 cups Half and Half (this is what I did to help with calories and fat content)

Garnishes: chopped green onions, reserved bacon or bacon bits, cheddar cheese

Directions:

1) In a large stockpot over medium-low heat, fry bacon until crisp. Make sure to do this slowly. Bacon can go from fried to burnt very quickly.
2) Remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving half for topping. In the bacon fat in the pot, cook onions, carrots, and celery until the onions are translucent.
3) Peel and dice potatoes. Add to stock pot. NOTE: The size of the potatoes are going to determine later cooking time. SS calls for cooking 4 minutes. I like my potatoes in larger chunks so I gave my potatoes 15 minutes to cook before proceeding to the next step.
4) Whisk in flour and stir constantly over low heat until the flour is cooked and the mixture has thickened slightly, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add chicken broth and half of the bacon. Season with Revamped Paula Deen's House Seasoning.

5) Over medium low flame, bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Mash some of the potatoes for thicker, creamier texture. Add milk product and simmer for 5 minutes.
6) Adjust thickness by adding water or stock. Soup should have a creamy consistency
7) Season to taste, and garnish with toppings.

Notes: I would not suggest using lower fat content milk, even as high as whole milk. This recipe calls for a higher fat content cream and it is definitely needed. Even with the breakdown I used, I thought I was really pushing it with taste and texture.