Absolutely Ultimate Potato Soup Recipe - Allrecipes.com
Absolutely Ultimate Potato Soup Recipe
  • READY IN 40 mins

Absolutely Ultimate Potato Soup

Read Reviews (898)

"I have made this for many whom have given it the title. This takes a bit of effort but is well worth it. Please note: for those who do not wish to use bacon, substitute 1/4 cup melted butter for the bacon grease and continue with the recipe. (I generally serve this soup as a special treat as it is not recommended for people counting calories.)" 

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Ingredients Edit and Save

Original recipe makes 8 servings Change Servings

Directions

  1. In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until done. Remove bacon from pan, and set aside. Drain off all but 1/4 cup of the bacon grease.
  2. In the bacon grease remaining in the pan, saute the celery and onion until onion begins to turn clear. Add the garlic, and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cubed potatoes, and toss to coat. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Return the bacon to the pan, and add enough chicken stock to just cover the potatoes. Cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender.
  3. In a separate pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Cook stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the heavy cream, tarragon and cilantro. Bring the cream mixture to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir the cream mixture into the potato mixture. Puree about 1/2 the soup, and return to the pan. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Kitchen-Friendly View
  • PREP 10 mins
  • COOK 30 mins
  • READY IN 40 mins
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Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review
Jan 01, 2003

This has to be one of the best tasting potato soup recipes I've tried. I think next time I will try adding some shredded cheese in the last step or stir some into a hot bowl of soup for an added kick. I did find that this recipe takes much longer to prepare than the recipe states. The times listed in the preparation are assuming you're starting out with peeled/diced potatoes, chopped onions, chopped celery, etc. If you have none of this prepared ahead of time (and who does?) then this recipe will take much longer to make. Sure, it's worth the time it takes to make it...but don't use this recipe for as last-minute dinner when you're in a hurry or when you're really tired and just wanting a good soup. It took me about two hours to make this from start to finish. The cooking of the potatoes in the middle of the recipe before the stock is added is an excellent step and it helps the potatoes cook much faster than they would have just by boiling alone. The puree step at near the end is very important. It highly affected the texture and flavor of the soup. Don't skip that step! Also, please don't think that "chicken broth" and "chicken stock" are the same thing. They're not! I wasn't able to find chicken stock at Walmart, I had to go to Albertsons. If you use chicken broth you'll get a much different result. I also noticed this recipe has no salt added. I did find adding salt to my bowl of soup helped the flavor even more. I suggest adding some salt! I hi

 
Most Helpful Critical Review
Feb 28, 2011

Good base soup to build on for personal preference. I felt the soup definitely lacked flavor, but wasn't sure if it was me, so I asked hubby to taste it. Immediate response; "terrible"! Thought he was kidding me, but alas, he was not.... Back to the stove top it went; added chicken boullion to give the soup more complexity and depth, extra garlic, white pepper (better with cream bases than black pepper), leeks, celery, garlic salt, tsp of hot pepper sauce, dried parsley and a tad bit more tarragon. Didn't need to puree the soup as the potatoes melted away. Ultimate potato soup with additions!

 
Dec 11, 2003

I am a professional Chef and I teach Culinary classes, we used this recipe last night and it was given a thumbs up. kudos to Karena

 
Oct 06, 2003

Thank you so much for letting us enjoy this wonderful soup. It was one of the last things my Father tasted before he died of lung cancer. It was amazing how much he ate of this soup even though he had a hard time getting it down trough his throut because of the cancer. it was very very much worth it. so in the spirit of john van liempt, enjoy

 
Oct 09, 2003

I have made this soup several times for many different people. Everyone LOVES it! I don't add the tarragon or cilantro nor do I puree at the end, it is still absolutely delicious. I read in a previous review not to use canned chicken broth...I do! I'm looking forward to my first cold weather batch, it's worth every bit of the effort!

 
Jul 04, 2003

This TRULY is the best potato soup you could ever have. Rich, creamy, full of flavor. You won't find better in a can or at a restaurant. The only change I will make next time is I'll use leeks instead of onions. Simply because I think leeks in soup adds the most delicious flavor. You definetly should give this soup a try!

 
Dec 12, 2002

This soup was awesome! The only change from the recipe that I made was to use fat-free 1/2 & 1/2 instead of the flour and cream, and it didnt need the flour anyway! When I pureed for a minute, it thickened up nicely!. The tarragon gave it a really nice flavor...will make again!

 
Jul 04, 2003

Thankyou! Karena. What a rich & decadent soup!! As I'm devouring every bite. I feel like I just went to a 5 Star Restaurant and ordered their "best" soup. My family and my daughters 9 year old friend couldn't get enough. Excellent. I had no choice to do some things different, I did not have any Tarragon and I used 1/3 of the cilantro(I didn't like the taste of the cilantro plain so I was afraid if I put the 3 tsps. it called for, I thought I might not like the soup... but in fact when the soup was done it tasted like it needed something, so I threw in one tsp. of the cilantro and a little more salt and pepper. It was the best soup I have ever made. Oh! also, My Ten year old Daughter (who's finiky) only like it after I added Shedded Cheddar Cheese to hers. Served with Fresh French Bread and Butter. WHAT A HIT!!! I will definitly be making this again, especially at my next big Holiday gathering. I want my WHOLE Family to enjoy this delectable soup

 

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Nutrition

  • Calories
  • 594 kcal
  • 30%
  • Carbohydrates
  • 44 g
  • 14%
  • Cholesterol
  • 91 mg
  • 30%
  • Fat
  • 41.5 g
  • 64%
  • Fiber
  • 5.2 g
  • 21%
  • Protein
  • 12.6 g
  • 25%
  • Sodium
  • 879 mg
  • 35%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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