Potato Soup

This recipe might be a little on the difficult side if your house isn't like mine. We save all bacon drippings in a jar in the fridge. And if you don't know how to make a roux, you'll never get this to work. It will taste awful and you'll blame me, but that's fine.

Warning: It's not low fat or healthy. That being said, it's pretty damn good.

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3-4 T bacon drippings (you can also include crumbled bacon pieces, too. I just didn't have any)
2-3 T flour
16 oz chicken broth
1 c milk (heavy cream or half-and-half can also be used)
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp celery seed (or 1 stalk finely diced celery)
dash onion powder
½ tsp chives
1 tsp parsley
¼ tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
1 tsp chicken soup base (you can also use the little packets that come in ramen noodles - I used the one from a pkg of creamy chicken ramen and it worked perfectly)
salt and pepper to taste

In a separate sauce pan, bring potatoes to a boil and cook until almost done. You still want a slight crunch to their texture. In the meantime, heat the bacon drippings over med-high heat and using a wire whisk stir in the flour until you get a roux. Let it cook down (as stated in the link above the picture) and then, add milk all at once, followed quickly by the chicken broth. If you add it slowly, it'll clump up and you'll have a mess.

Check your potatoes and drain if they're done. Set aside.

Add your spices and stir the creamy soup mixture until small bubbles start forming around the edge of the pan. Do NOT let it come to a full boil or the milk will curdle. Add the potatoes and stir while cooking it over a low heat until everything is warm. This is a great soup to serve with crusty French bread. You can add shredded cheese or sour cream, if you choose, but it's delicious by itself, too.

Enjoy!