Cheesy Provolone Potato Soup

First a couple of updates...


Odds are in your favor for the win right now.  Only 14 people have entered the give away.  A whopping $25 (enough to get 4 or 5 pounds of nuts, dried fruits or even these whimsical "rock" chocolate chips).  The girt certificate will come via email for this terrific mail order company. So everything will arrive in plenty of time for Christmas baking.Click HERE for the details.  But please do me a favor and enter (there is an advantage to me if I get a certain number of entrants).  Just a comment gets you in the running.


And just to follow up, I want to congratulate all the winners in the Pom Dinner Party.  I did my best, but the powers that be had a tough decision to make, and I ended up out of the money.


A bit discouraging as I had thought I did pretty good.  But, in hind sight I know a few things I could have done better.  So, moving on to the next adventure!

And now, on to the soup...


We (well Jackie anyway) are sick around here.  


Doctor report is strep throat.  


Believe it or not, she dolled herself up for this picture... Sickness is not pretty.


But, her fever broke (I think because of the joy in her heart when I told her I was making this soup), and she finally has a little appetite again.

Sounds like a soup day to me.


I happen to love this soup.  Very thick and creamy, filled with potatoes.  But the provolone cheese is the real secret.  It melts and hides.  Invisible flavor throughout!


Here's what I did...


I made almost a double batch, so the ingredients are a little high.  Jackie likes this soup, so I wanted to make plenty in case it stays down (it did).


6 TBS Butter
6 TBS Flour
1/2 Red Onion, small dice
12  medium Russet Potatoes, peeled, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
6 cups Chicken Stock
3 cups Heavy Cream
2 cups Good Melting Cheese, Shredded (I used "provolone")
2 TBS "Not Your grandmother's Herbes de Provence", divided


And I garnished with some green onions and a bit of shredded Cheddar Cheese.


OK, first, as usual, a note about my Herb mix...

"Not Your grandmother's Herbes de Provence" is my own mix of Mediterranean herbs and spices.  I make a batch every month or so, and use it in LOTS of things.

Feel free to substitute your own favorite herbs, like dill for this.  Or make your own combinations, like dill, garlic and rosemary.  But if you want to be lazy, just make a batch of this, use it often and really spice up your life.

As to the soup...

• First, Make a Roux... Melt the butter over low-medium heat, add the flour slowly and stir CONSTANTLY.  Stir for about 10 minutes, CONSTANTLY (do not let it burn).  Suddenly, you will see the mixture begin to darken and you will smell a nutty aroma... Heaven.
• When you smell the nutty aroma, add the onions and stir every minute for 5 minutes, until the onions become translucent
• Move the onion roux to a large soup pot.  Add the Chicken Stock and heat to gentle boil
• Add the potatoes and 1 TBS of the "Not Your grandmother's Herbes de Provence" Spice mix.
• Allow to simmer for 45 minutes, then add the Cream and Cheese, return to simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
• If the soup is not thick enough for your tastes, add a slurry of 1 tsp of cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp milk, stir everything, keeping an eye to thickness.
• And garnish to taste!

I like LOTS of potato in my potato soup.  No potato rice for me, I cut my potatoes in wedges and then slices about 1/4 inch thick.  Russet potatoes work best as they hold their form (unlike red potatoes that will meld into the liquid).

Knock on wood, so far, I am healthy as an old horse.  So, I doctored mine up a bit.  I drizzled in some Pom Chipotle Sauce I had left over from the dinner party.

Later today, we will pour this over some leftover turkey for a pimped out Chicken (turkey) Soup.

Now that's the road to recovery!