Potato soup recipe

This creamy, classic potato soup recipe is so easy to make, inexpensive and it's so delicious. 

Potatoes make a thick and creamy soup with milk, butter and cream really ramping up the flavour experience. Make this in autumn and winter with floury potatoes like King Edwards which puree down to a really velvet consistency. And then there's the best bit - the garnish. The great thing about the mild, earthy flavour of potato soup is you can really go to town in the garnish, adding pretty much anything you'd normally use to top a baked potato. We've gone for bacon and Red Leicester cheese, with a sprinkling of spring onions but feel free to adapt to your own favourites.

Ingredients

• 25g butter
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and diced
• 500g floury potatoes , peeled and roughly chopped
• 600ml vegetable or chicken stock
• 300ml milk
• 100ml single cream (optional)
• To garnish: crispy bacon, grated Red Leicester cheese and chopped spring onions (optional)

Method

1. Place the butter and oil in a large saucepan and heat. Add the onions and cook over a medium heat for about 5 mins until transparent and tender, but not browned. Add the potatoes and pour in the stock. Cover with a tight fitting lid and bring to the boil then simmer for 15 mins or until the potatoes are tender and falling apart.
2. Add the milk to the pan then pour everything into a liquidiser and puree until smooth. Return the soup to the pan, season to taste, then add the cream if liked. Serve hot with plenty of garnish.

Top tip for making potato soup

If liked you can add leeks or bacon to this hot soup when frying the onions, or add a little cauliflower to the potatoes when boiling.

The best potatoes for a classic potato soup are floury potatoes. Floury potatoes will make the soup as creamy as can be so you have soft potato puree. White round potatoes which are often low in starch means if you’re looking for a chunky, thick soup they’ll hold the shape once cut up.

If you want to give your potato soup a twist you could add a dash or two of chilli powder. The chilli powder will give your soup a nice warming flavour and a good kick too. You could also add some cheese to the mixture. The tanginess of the cheese and richness will work wonders alongside the soft potato texture.

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