Smoky Jalapeño Cheddar Potato Soup

When you suddenly go crazy and make three different cauldrons of soup in one week, you can often come up short when it comes to storage/freezer containers. That’s precisely what happened to me when I decided to try a number of new soup recipes. Fortunately, one recipe was better than the other, and I am pretty much set for winter when it comes to soup. I do find that a nice cup of soup is a wonderful accompaniment to half a sandwich, salad, or roll. This recipe for smoky jalapeño cheddar potato soup is phenomenal! I think it is my favorite of the three that I tried. Be sure to cook your potatoes, as mentioned in the recipe, only until fork tender, you don’t want to cook them to mush. This bit of spicy, cheesy goodness is a must for the coming months.

Smoky Jalapeno Cheddar Potato Soup

Slightly adapted from oliveandmango.com

6 slices thick cut bacon

2 c. mirepoix (mixture of celery, carrots, and onions, all minced)

½ T. Melissa’s minced garlic

1 Melissa’s pickled jalapeño, seeded and chopped

1 t. dried thyme

1 12-oz. bottle of lager or Pilsner

1/3 c. flour

3 c. broth, chicken or vegetable *

1 c. heavy cream

4 small to medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

½ lb. of sharp old white cheddar cheese, grated coarsely

4 oz. smoked cheddar cheese grated coarsely

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, cook the bacon over med/high heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a bowl.

 Add the carrots, celery, onion, jalapeño, garlic and thyme to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until softened, 5-8 minutes. Add ½ of the beer and cook until reduced by half, another couple of minutes.

 Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir for a few minutes to cook off any floury taste.(see recipe note about thinking) Add the chicken broth just a little bit at a time, stirring as you add until smooth and creamy. The soup should start out very thick and eventually thin out as you add the full 3 cups of broth.

 Then stir in the remaining beer and the potatoes, and simmer for approx 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.

 Add the heavy cream, cheddar cheeses and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and creamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved bacon and season with salt and pepper.

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