Something potentially catastrophic happened last night, or something potentially life changing happened last night. It’s too soon to tell which, at the moment. You see, I got a deep fryer for Christmas. And yes, I do say that with a grain of shame, but with mostly deep fat fried pride.
The irony of getting a deep fryer right before the New Year, replete with it’s resolutions and goals and good intentions, is not lost on me. It occurred to me last night that I no longer have a good reason not to make my own french fries, or fried chicken, or potato chips, or mozzarella sticks, and this girl needs a good reason to not make those things. Catastrophic or life changing? Or both? I think both.
My defense against such a gift and my own love of salty, crispy goodness is soup. Soup is moderation. Soup is health. Soup is not deep fat fried, although I bet someone has done that somewhere. This soup tricks my carb-loving brain into thinking it’s eating a hot bowl of cream-filled, starchy potato soup, when in reality it’s doing none of those things. The tricky culprit–protein packed beans.
The lack of cream makes the addition of bacon totally fine, as there’s 4 slices for about 6 servings. Heck, if you wanted to add real cheddar cheese, you’d be well within your moderation rights.
This is a filling and hearty meal that is healthy too. It’s the perfect accompaniment to your New Years goals and that new gym membership, which I looked into this morning. I’m leaning towards buying a workout DVD on Amazon, as the price difference is about, oh, $650/year.
And yes, to answer your question, fried pickles will be shared very soon. Eat the soup, you’ll need it.
Here’s the recipe!
White Bean and Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium potatoes, skinned and chopped
- 1 can Cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 4 cups chicken stock
- salt and pepper
- 3 scallions, white and light green parts, chopped
- Cheddar cheese for topping
- Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp, then remove to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon to drain.
- Add carrots, onion, and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add potatoes and beans and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, then add chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer until potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes.
- Blend with an immersion blender, or a regular blender, working in batches. Blend to desire consistency, which for me was smooth.
- Add bacon and scallions, reserving a few of each for garnish. Serve in bowls and garnish with additional bacon and scallions, and cheddar cheese if you want.
