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Stewed Irish Potato Soup

Source of Recipe

From "My Southern Food" by Devon O'Day


Recipe Introduction

"My Aunt Lessie Butler kept me when I was six years old and had the chicken pox. I was miserable with itching, but she made me stewed 'Arsh' taters and cornbread and taught me to play Scrabble. It was the best meal I'd ever had, I thought. She just laughed and told me it was just stewed taters and cornbread. I think she knew that good comfort food and the time spent playing Scrabble with her and Uncle Carl was just the thing I needed to make me forget my polka-dotted self. It worked!"

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 6 cups new potatoes
â—¦ 1 stalk celery, chopped
â—¦ 1 medium onion, chopped
â—¦ 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
â—¦ 3 tablespoons butter
â—¦ 1 teaspoon salt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon pepper
â—¦ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
â—¦ 8 ounces heavy cream
â—¦ 6 slices bacon, fried and crumbled


Recipe

To peel new potatoes easily, partially boil (parboil) them, allow them to cool, and pop the skins off.

Simmer the skinned potatoes, celery, and onion in enough water to just cover them in a large soup pot. When the potatoes are tender, add the evaporated milk, butter, salt, and pepper. Create a slurry by blending the flour with ¼ cup water in a small bowl. Stir until all the lumps are gone and add to the potatoes. Stir and simmer the potatoes until a thick gravy begins to form. Pour in the cream and allow the soup to warm completely before serving.

Top the soup with crumbled bacon. This is a great comfort soup served with cornbread or hot-water bread.

Makes 6 to 8 servings