Cheesy Potato Soup with Heart Shaped Carrots

     The one good thing about winter is comfort food. What's more comforting than the potato? A big bowlful of warm cheesy potato soup with heart shaped carrots!
   

DISCLAIMER: This recipe is not health food. It's straight up junky comfort food. 

     First, start cooking some bacon. I always chop the strips before I cook them rather than tear or crumble them after. It makes for more uniform pieces that cook more evenly and you can fill the pan better than strips. After it renders a bit and releases some yummy grease (Why sugarcoat it? Call it what you want, but we all know it's bacon grease...hmmm...note to self: try sugarcoated bacon grease....) stir in some finely chopped onion or shallot. 

     While your bacon and onion (or shallot) are getting lovely and golden browned, start cutting your veggies. I just dice the potatoes in chunks. I like to do some small and some large. I get bored eating same sized bites of everything. I like to mix up the textures a bit. MAKE SURE YOU PEEL YOUR POTATOES! I have found out the hard way that when you put diced potatoes in soups the peels fall off and you get potato chunks and pieces of skin in your soup. It's like trying to eat wet paper. Gross.

Yeah my potatoes sprouted, big whoop. They come off with the peel.

     Now for the fun part. I saw these heart shaped carrots in a recipe I pinned from Pinterest. And seriously, don't all cute ideas spring from Pinterest? The pin I read didn't really explain what to do so I put that fancy Art degree to work and figured it out. First, PEEL THE CARROTS! They won't slip off like the potato skins but they look dirty and gross even if you scrub them. It's super off-putting.

     Starting at the big end, slide in the tip of your knife and run it down to the pointed end. Repeat the cut about a half inch from the first cut. Angle these cuts in toward each other. This will create a V-shaped channel down the carrot. 

     Put the big end of the carrot on the cutting board and make a shallow cut down the length of the carrot down the channel you just created. This softens the edge into the rounded top of the heart.

      Now flip it over and put the V side down. Starting at the big end again, and at the middle of the carrot, angle the point of your knife out away from the carrot and make a cut down each side. It's like the exact opposite of what you did on the other side.

End view, don't try to cut it holding it like this or you'll probably chop off your fingers!

     Now for the third and final step, chop the carrot. I try to keep them about the same size as the potato chunks so they'll cook at the same rate.

Oh, the cuteness!

      Place the veggies and bacon mixture in the pot with some chicken broth. Top it off with enough milk or half and half  to cover them. You could also use cream if, you know, you're trying to gain weight.

      Now season. I rarely measure, I just sprinkle in and taste until I get it right. Remember, you can always add more but you can't take it out, so start off light. I usually start with a pinch or about a 1/4 teaspoon. For this soup I use salt, pepper, garlic powder and ground mustard powder. If you haven't tried ground mustard with cheese sauce I really urge you to try. If you don't have it on hand, just omit it and it'll still be fine...just not as good. Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat.

     Here's the secret ingredient. The classiest ingredient I may have ever used. You may think a cheesy soup would call for some hand shredded imported cheese, since it's right there in the title and all. You will be surprised to know that this recipe does not. This recipe requires only the finest liquid cheese you can find in a jar.

     Don't even think about using Cheez Whiz or a store brand. This is the only liquid cheese I buy. It is velvety and delicious. If you're a food snob, don't turn up your nose. Hear me out. I know this is "cheese product" and not "cheese", but it is tasty. I don't care if you're a great chef classically trained, you still eat junk food. If you're worried what your food snob pals will say, just do what I do. Drive 50 miles to a grocery store out of town. Put on a hat and sunglasses and ask them to put the cheese in a plain brown bag, after you use the cheese, wrap it back in the same bag and while driving to work, throw it out your car window into the river as you go over the bridge. Or you could get over yourself and your ego and allow yourself to enjoy some good old white trash liquid gold.

  Last, but not least, after the cheese has warmed through and the vegetables are done, I add a big blob of butter.

I love serving this up with corn bread. And not just any old cornbread, only Jiffy will do. I like to make it in my mini muffin pan. If they're mini, the calories don't count, right?

There it is, in all it's golden glory!

Cheesy Potato Soup

3 strips bacon (cut into strips before frying)

1/4 of a small onion or one small shallot-minced

5 lbs potatoes (I prefer Yukon gold or russet. They stand up to boiling and make the soup nice and thick, also the gold add to the golden color)

3 carrots

1 quart chicken stock/broth

1 to 1 1/2  cup (approximately) milk or half and half or cream

1 teaspoon salt (to taste)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (to taste)

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard (to taste)

1 jar Cheesy Ragu Double Cheddar

1 tablespoon butter

Begin frying bacon, as it renders down, add onion/shallot. Cook until bacon is done and onion/shallot is translucent.

While bacon and onion cook, peel and cube potatoes and carrots. 

Pour chicken broth in soup pot, add vegetables and bacon mixture. Pour in enough milk/half and half/cream to cover the veggies. 

Add seasoning.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium/low.

Add cheese sauce. Cook until veggies are done. 

Add butter before serving.