Monday, September 28, 2009

Totally inappropriate-for-the-weather meal [RECIPE]


I'm so contrary sometimes.

I start knitting when it gets hot, I pull out my flip-flops when it's cold, I run in the rain and sew when it's sunny.

It's like my inner project master is playing a prank on me, all the time.

Whatever. I guess I can't expect my inner anything to make any more sense than my outer anything given how absurd she is.

You get what I'm saying.

Well, in true Inner Idiot fashion, I decided to debut my Baked Potato Soup recipe yesterday when it was, TEE DAH, 91 degrees outside.

Which means it's also 91 degrees inside because YAY we don't have A/C. Or proper insulation. Or a fan in the kitchen.

No, what we had was an oven and stove top running full-bore and some nice healthy boob sweat.

Did I mention we also had a hangover, complete with headache and belly churning? Well, we had that, too. It was super good fun.

Actually, the soup had to happen because The Hangover wanted it, so I had no choice. Kinda like when pregnant ladies *have to have* something because The Baby wants it? Yeah, like that. Except meaner. I imagine, anyway. Never having been a pregnant lady, I can't be 100% on this. Moving on.

I have been sort of mulling the idea for this soup ever since I had a similar type soup at work and thought, "You know. This soup would be way better if they had used chicken stock instead of water as the base. And it wouldn't even make it fatty or anything. Unlike the cream I really want to use."

And yesterday, when my stomach was crying out to be coated with something starchy and absorbent, I decided I'd hatch my version of Baked Potato Soup. Even though I was already sweating just from lying on the couch and screaming obscenities at Brett Favre as though he'd just murdered a close family member of mine.

I will just say this, that man should have retired by now and, after yesterday's performance, I'm not sure he ever will and THAT bothers me on a deep and profound level. But that's all I'm going to say. Also, go Niners. BUT THAT'S ALL.

Perhaps my rage was making my stomach churn rather than the dozen G&Ts I had on Saturday night? Perhaps.

Or perhaps I just wanted potato soup because that's, like, the stupidest thing to want when it's so effin hot outside. That said, this soup came out well and I imagine I'll enjoy it a lot more when I'm not sweating into the bowl because Real Fall has finally arrived and not this Fake Fall with its 90 degree temps.

I'm just saying that someone should tell Fall that they're doing it wrong. Here, at least. Maybe it's Real Fall where you are. In which case, you might like eating this soup while wearing a sweater, maybe, and watching leaves turn red and yellow or doing something appropriately fall-like.


Baked Potato Soup

Recipe by Finny
How do you like that?

Ingredients
4 medium to large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
32 oz chicken broth, or enough to cover the potatoes in the pot
4 slices thick cut bacon, roasted and chopped
Shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped green onions
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper

To make
In a large stock pot, bring chicken broth to a boil and add potatoes. Make sure that the broth covers the potatoes in the pot and, if not, add water or more chicken broth until it does.



Boil potatoes for about 15 minutes or until they're easily smushed with the back of the ratty ladle that came from Bubba's bachelor pad.

Drain about half the liquid from the pot KEEPING THE POTATOES IN THE POT until you can see the tops of the potato chunks peeping out.



Using an immersion blender, puree the potatoes and chicken broth until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Thin to your preferred consistency with more chicken broth if you want to be a pansy like that.



OR, if your mama didn't hand you down her old immersion blender and all you have is a regular old blender, blend the potatoes and chicken broth in batches until you have a consistency to your liking.

Also, don't try asking my mom for hand-outs. I've called dibs on all the good stuff already.

After that, you really only need to dress it up to your liking. Me? I had already had a BLT for lunch, so wasn't feeling like I should really be dosing myself with more bacon, but I had a little. I did, however, feel like I needed a lot of onions, so on they went, with some cheese and a lot more pepper.



If you're Bubba though, you fill your bowl to within two inches of the rim and then fill the remaining space with the rest of the bacon and a pile of cheese. I wish I'd taken a photo of his soup. It just looked like a bowl of shredded cheddar.

We are the classiest.

And then, because it's 90+ degrees in your kitchen and house, you take this very winter-like dish out to the backyard and serve it with a tomato-heavy salad so that you don't spontaneously combust from the heat radiating from within.



And in case you didn't already know this, and I'm not sure how you would because I don't usually tell people because it makes me seem insane, I'm pretty paranoid about flies on my food. So I have a bunch of these food cover things that go immediately over any plates that go outside.

Just so you know. And don't think I'm the kind of crazy person that serves food under a silver dome or something like in those fancy restaurants. I'm just the kind of crazy person that finds flies repulsive.

That's all, then.

12 comments:

  1. Oh, Finny! You must try some leeks with the potatoes when you boil and puree them next time. Of course there is all that sand you have to wash off the leeks but the flavor they add to the soup is extremely heavenly.

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  2. Ooh! I totally have the same funky anti-fly domes as you!

    Your Tater Soup sounds super-deliciouso, but I'll wait for "Real" Winter* to hit before I attempt it - and I'll probably add leeks ANNNND super-luscious super-fatty cream.

    Oh, and I totally stole your stolen-from-FarmGirl Tomato-Pesto-Sausage-Cheese Pie recipe, and added onions and mushrooms to it.

    Awesomely deelish! And - ever since I stumbled onto that post/recipe, I've become a full-time FinnyKnits Lurker!

    *BTW - We are kinda/almost neighbors, and I have NO clue how you managed to have such freaking awesome luck with your veggie garden this year. I and my neighbors did not fare so well :::sigh:::

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  3. Oh! It's fall here. That sounds delicious. I have to say, having been hung over and pregnant (but not at the same time thank you), the hangover need for greasy carbs exceeds any prego craving I've had. Although I have, may times over the last few months, left my house at ungodly hours to fetch grapefruit juice.

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  4. I adore you. I love how every recipe you make involves bacon. Elke would be proud.

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  5. How do you eat soup when it's that hot? I would throw up. You are obviously tougher than I.

    I have, however, been wanting to make potato soup (with leeks, because we have a lot of leeks). And it IS fall, so I could eat it without throwing up. Except SOMEONE in this house is now on a protein-heavy eating plan and is not eating bread or potatoes. BOOOO.

    I'll probably make the soup anyway and tell him to fill up on cheese. Good plan.

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  6. The weather up here in MN is perfect for sweaters and hot soup. Thanks for the recipe-we love any excuse to put cheese on things in this house.

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  7. So weird! I made the Knittah version of potato soup this weekend too! Great minds, yada yada.

    And My Finny Gardening Mojo and Knowledge Wishlist:
    1. Size and composition of the beds
    2. Soil testing? Discuss.
    3. Plant choice? Seed or plant?
    4. How much sun does a bed really need?
    5. If you were putting in a new bed, what sort of soil mix would you put in? Hypothetically speaking.

    Thank you, Marvelous Finny!

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  8. Oh, we are so having this for dinner tonight! It looks so good. Actually, maybe I'll make it for lunch and Jeff can have the leftovers for dinner.

    I make a potato soup that is basically thinned out mashed potatoes with cubed pieces of ham and parmesan/garlic toasts on the side.

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  9. Alice - I would love to try some leeks in here whenever they're in season. The farmshare is currently giving us bucket loads of peppers, so that'll have to wait until the winter vegs some coming in. But then? I'll add some.

    IMQTPI - Welcome lurker and pie maker! Isn't that pie the best? It's my favorite thing to eat. I imagine it would be great with mushrooms because mushrooms make everything better. Except maybe ice cream. That would be gross.

    Sorry to hear your garden bummed out. Per Knittah's request (below), I will be sharing my methods in a series of posts, so stay tuned. Maybe they'll be helpful for you, too.

    Dig - Grapefruit juice? Weird. Maybe the babe wanted Vitamin C.

    After all my weather bitching yesterday, it rained last night. Do you love it? It was actually cool last night. To the point where I made roasted red pepper soup and wilted spinach with bacon for dinner. Divine.

    And today, TAH DAH, I'm wearing a sweater. AND tall boots. Thank you, Fall.

    Decca - When we have bacon in the house (which we did because the Bacon Share finally showed) I work it into nearly every meal until it's gone. I'm, like, the worst Jew ever - serving this on Yom Kippur eve.

    Kris - I remember watching a foodie type show once when they were in Southeast Asia somewhere and it was, like, balls hot out and all these people were hunched over their steaming bowls of Pho (Ok, so it must have been Vietnam if it was Pho, but whatever) and the host asked his fixer how they could eat hot soup when it was so friggen hot outside and the dude says that eating hot food when the weather is hot actually cools you down.

    I don't know the science behind that, but that's what I was telling myself as I ate my soup. Which was good. And no one barfed. ;)

    Once leeks are in season, I'm totally making this soup with leeks. Our farmshare is currently overburdening us with peppers. So, you know, last night I made roasted red pepper soup which was GREAT. Plus, after all my hot weather bitching, it rained last night.

    I love it when the weather listens to me.

    Alevin - If you're Bubba, you put way too much cheese on everything and then act all surprised when your wife gives you the whale eye. Seriously, it was so much cheese.

    Knittah - I will have to check out your version! Did you post it?

    I have made note of your requests and will plan to post a series of How-tos. Sound good?

    Wendy - I like your version! Bubba would like it because of the ham. I like other the other people's suggestions to add leeks. As soon as we start getting leeks in the farmshare (they're not quite in season yet) I'm going to remake this with leeks.

    Enjoy!

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  10. Woohoo! Finny Knowledge for my garden! Because seriously, y'all, my garden needs Finny Help. And no, I did not post my potato soup recipe, but now I guess I will. There was no avalanche of cheese, though.

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  11. Ha! I was thinking this morning that Fake Fall is totally going to be my theme this month, and here it is in your post. :) Although, it's *really* fake fall here, since it won't be actually fall-ish for at least another month (and even then it's not for good.)

    The soup looks delish. I love potato soup, mostly as a vessel for the bacon. And I would *love* to read your gardening tips, even though I feel beyond help [insert sad sigh here].

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  12. Ok, recipe posted: http://tumblyday.com/?p=1906

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[2013 update: You can't comment as an anonymous person anymore. Too many douchebags were leaving bullshit SPAM comments and my inbox was getting flooded, but if you're here to comment in a real way like a real person, go to it.]

Look at you commenting, that's fun.

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Sucks, right?

Anyway, to remedy this, I usually come back to my posts and post replies in the comment field with you.

But, if you ever want to email me directly to talk about pumpkins or shoes or what it's like to spend a good part of your day Swiffering - shoot me an email to finnyknitsATgmailDOTcom.

Cheers.