The secret to a truly great potato soup is using Yukon Gold potatoes and only blending or mashing half of the pot. Yukon Golds have a naturally buttery flavor and waxy-starch balance that holds its shape without turning gritty, while mashing half gives you a velvety, thick base loaded with tender chunks.
Ingredients
6 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped (or 4 tbsp unsalted butter if skipping bacon)
3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream (or half-and-half for a slightly lighter broth)
1/2 cup sour cream (at room temperature so it blends smoothly)
Seasonings: 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, and 1 bay leaf
For serving: Shredded sharp cheddar, sliced green onions or chives, and the reserved crispy bacon
Step-by-Step Method
Render the bacon: Cook the chopped bacon in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving about 3 tablespoons of rendered fat in the pot (add a dab of butter if it's short).
Soften the aromatics: Add the diced onion and celery to the pot. Cook over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes until softened and translucent. Stir in the garlic, thyme, and smoked paprika, cooking for another minute until fragrant.
Build the roux: Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes to cook off the raw flour taste.
Simmer the potatoes: Slowly pour in the chicken broth while stirring to dissolve the flour paste smoothly. Add the diced potatoes, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then drop the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Create the texture: Remove the bay leaf. Use a handheld potato masher directly in the pot to mash about half of the potatoes—or scoop 2 cups of soup into a blender, puree until smooth, and stir it back in.
Finish with dairy: Turn the heat down to low. Stir in the heavy cream and sour cream until completely smooth and warmed through, about 3 to 5 minutes. Avoid boiling once the dairy is in so the soup stays silky.
Taste and serve: Check the seasoning and add extra salt or black pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and pile on the sharp cheddar, crispy bacon, and green onions alongside a thick slice of crusty bread.
This batch makes about 6 hearty main-course bowls (around 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups each) or 8 to 10 smaller starter cups if you are serving it alongside sandwiches or a big salad. Altogether, the pot yields roughly 10 to 11 cups—just shy of 3 quarts—of thick soup.
A few helpful things to keep in mind if you are cooking for two or planning on leftovers:
It thickens in the fridge: Because of the flour roux and the natural starch in the Yukon Golds, the soup will set up quite thick once it chills. When you reheat a bowl the next day, just stir in a splash of chicken broth or milk to loosen it back up to your preferred consistency.
Fridge vs. freezer storage: Kept in an airtight container, leftovers will hold up well in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days and reheat smoothly on the stove or in a microwave. However, because it contains heavy cream and sour cream, it does not freeze particularly well—the dairy tends to turn grainy and separate once thawed.
If you want to freeze half: Make the soup right up through mashing the potatoes, ladle out the portion you want to freeze before adding the heavy cream and sour cream, and stir the dairy into the thawed batch later when you warm it up.
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