Cream of Potato Soup

Cream of potato is just a base name to go off of for this creamy and versatile soup.  I have discovered the "secret" to really good creamed soup, and any number of food combinations has been really good.  The "secret" is in the RUE!  I have been experimenting for several months now with different versions of this soup and they have all been absolutely delicious!

Start out with a good sized pot if you like to have left-overs, which we do!  Peel and cube between 6-10 potatoes depending on their size.  I was using smaller ones from our garden, so just judge it by how it looks after you add them to the pot.  I cover them with about 6-8 cups of water and start them boiling, adding 1 chicken bouillon cube per cup of water.  Cook about 20 min. or til you can poke a fork through a potato cube.

If you want sauteed onions and celery (chopped) that is also a good base flavor.  I usually cook mine in olive oil til tender.  You could also saute' some chopped carrots with this, or take the easy way out with a can of carrots that you chop up. 

I have added a variety of things at this point, depending on what sounds good or what I have on hand.  I've added creamed corn, a can or two of cream of chicken soup (undiluted)....carrots will give it a golden color.  Mashed pumpkin or winter squash would be good, though I haven't been making it long enough to hit the fall season yet.

After it gets heated up good then add some milk.  I've been using the canned evaporated Vitamin D milk, but I think anything you have on hand would be good, so I'm guessing about 3-4 cups of milk.  I used my immersion stick blender once and made a pureed version that was golden with the carrots and cheese, and my friends Cindy and Debbie loved it!  (which is why I am putting this recipe on here--they said write it down or I'd forget how I made it! LOL!)

When that gets all nice and warmed (be careful not to let it scorch on the bottom once you add the milk) then it's time for the RUE.  Melt about 3-4 Tablespoons of butter in a cup and then add about 3 TBS of flour to that.  Stir it up good and then pour it into your soup and stir frequently while it thickens.  Add any seasonings you want...sometimes I use garlic salt, sometimes I forget to season and it's still good.

You could also add meat if you want it.  I have added corned beef (from the can that was heated and chopped in a frying pan) or cooked crumbled bacon.  Once we just added chopped green onions and bacon bits on top of the soup (after it was in our bowls) and that was yummy!  Cooked and cut up sausage links would be good, or pieces of ham.
At this point you can add a cup or two of cut up or grated cheese, and let that melt, but only about a minute or two. 
That's it!  Serve and enjoy!

List of ingredients:
6 or so potatoes, peeled and cubed
6-8 cups water
6-8 chicken bouillon cubes (1 per cup of liquid)
1-2 cans cream of chicken soup (or any creamed soup if you want it for flavor, but it's optional)
Vegetables of choice: celery, onions, carrots, creamed corn, etc.
2 cans evaporated milk or 3-4 cups milk
Rue: 3 TBS butter melted with 3 TBS flour stirred in.
Cheese if desired.
Meat if desired.

**You could make a version of cream of broccoli using this same idea.  Just leave out all the other veggies and the potatoes.  Remember, it's the RUE that ROCKS this soup!