Makes 8 servings
- 4 lbs russet potatoes
- 2 teaspoons lard or butter
- 4 oz meaty bacon ends, chopped (see notes)
- 1½ lb onions, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 mushrooms, sliced (your choice of type)
- 3-4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 3 cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons salt
- grated sharp cheese and chopped scallions to top
Special equipment
- Immersion blender
Method
- Coat the potatoes with lard or butter and bake in a 350° oven until the potatoes are cooked through and the skins are crispy. The time while vary with the size of your potatoes. Remove to cool.
Fry the bacon over medium heat until crisp, medium heat not medium high because you want ro render the fat. Remove. In the bacon grease, fry the onion, celery, and mushrooms over medium heat until they begin to give up their water; then kick up the heat to medium high to lightly brown them. In the meantime, chop the potatoes into half inch cubes including the skins.
Deglaze the pot with 3 cups of the chicken broth, lower the heat to medium, add the cubed potatoes, and slowly stir in the milk. Bring to a light boil, then turn down to simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.
Use your immersion blender to pureé to your desired smoothness. Add the remaining cup of broth. Stir in the bacon bits. Refrigerate overnight to let the flavors blend. Don’t skip this step. if it seems too thick.
Notes
- If you’re trimming the fat off your bacon ends, throw some of the larger pieces of fat in with your meaty bits to generate more grease for frying the chopped vegetables. Remove before adding the potato pieces.↩
