With the remaining evidence of Winter Storm Blair who came in like a whirlwind and left us with a white souvenir of snow drifts and below zero wind chills—I like to hibernate and fix comfort foods. When I think brrrrr outside, I think soup inside. I love them all – venison chili, white chili, taco soup, broccoli and cheddar soup, various types of bisques, vegetable soups, and one of our favorite is Cheesy Irish Potato Soup.
When we were first married, I couldn’t get Mike to eat potato soup, but you put Irish in front of it and cheese and bacon and who wouldn’t love it? That’s what is for dinner!
This soup can be done in a crockpot or on top of the stove in a Dutch oven. I love using the Dutch oven when I’m home but the crockpot comes in handy when we are working at the winery and it pairs nicely with the 2023 Shamrock Hills Reserve Chardonel aged on American Oak. The oak balances the flavors of the soup nicely.
Irish Cheddar Potato Soup
Part 1 Ingredients:
10 strips bacon, divided.
1 onion diced
2 ribs of celery diced
6 cloves of garlic minced
1.5 pounds of Idaho potatoes diced (you can also use the frozen diced potatoes)
4 cups unsalted chicken broth
1 T dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
- Cook the bacon and crumble it. ½ will be set aside for the topping.
- Dump all of the above ingredients into a crockpot or Dutch oven.
- If cooking in a crockpot cook on low for 8 hours or high heat for 4 hours
- If cooking in a Dutch oven, I start it out on medium and then turn it down to medium low, after a couple of hours.
- Special Note—I’m using a gas stove
- Check the potatoes with a fork to make sure they are cooked through
- Use a potato masher or an immersion blender to mash/puree some of the potatoes in the cooker/Dutch oven. You don’t have to get them all or make it perfect. I usually do a couple loops around with the masher
Part 2 Ingredients:
4 T. butter
1/3 c. flour
1 ½ c. milk
2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ c. sour cream
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat
- Melt butter and heat until it starts to sizzle
- Whisk in the flour and stir for 1 minute
- Slowly (about ¼ c. at a time) add in the milk, whisking after each addition until the milk is completely mixed in
- Continue whisking and cooking for 5 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken
- Turn off the heat and stir in the 2 c. of shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream
- Mix the sauce into the soup and stir to combine
- Ladle the soup into the bowls and top with reserved bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and chives.
- Pour a glass of Shamrock Hills 2023 Reserve Chardonel on American Oak and Salute’