Baked Potato Soup

Baked Potato Soup
Nordstrom Friends and Family Cookbook
(Another one from my "Souper" Bowl party)

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 can (49 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
5 large baked Idaho potatoes, flesh scooped from the shell and mashed
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Garnish

½ cup sour cream

½ cup (2 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
¼ cup chopped green onion, including green tops
8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
2/3 cup canned fried shoestring potatoes

In a 6-8 quart saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.  Add the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf, and thyme and sauté, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.  Add the broth, bring to a simmer, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.  The vegetables should be very tender.  Discard the bay leaf.  Add the potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes to blend well.  Stir in the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish each bowl with a dollop of sour cream topped with 1 tablespoon shredded Cheddar, a sprinkling of green onion, and one eighth of the crumbled bacon.  Scatter a generous tablespoon of shoestring potatoes around each bowl and serve immediately.  Serves 8.

*I added a little bacon to the vegetables in the beginning and felt it gave the soup a better flavor.

Bistro French Onion Soup

I'm a soup lover, and I made this and many other soups for a "Souper" Bowl party.  It was delicious.

Bistro French Onion Soup

Nordstrom Friends and Family Cookbook

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 yellow onions, halved crosswise and thinly sliced
1 leek, white and light green part only, thinly sliced
8 cups canned low sodium beef broth
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 baguette slices, each ½ inch thick, toasted
4 cups (1 pound) shredded Gruyére cheese
1 teaspoon snipped fresh chives

In a 6-8 quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, until tan, about 1 minute.  Add the onions and leek and cook, stirring frequently until very soft and lightly caramelized, about 30 minutes.  Add the broth, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add the Tabasco sauce and Worcestershire sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Simmer for 10 minutes longer.

While the soup is simmering, position a rack in the upper third of the over and preheat to 425ºF.

Ladle the soup into individual ovenproof crocks.  Place 2 baguette slices on top of the soup in each crock.  Mound the cheese evenly among the crocks, covering the bread slices completely. Place the crocks on a sturdy, rimmed baking sheet.  Bake the soups until the cheese is lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes.  Carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the crocks to cool for a few minutes before serving.  Garnish each serving with the chives.