Crock It! Potato Cheddar Chive Soup

This will probably be one of my last Crock It! soup recipes for the season. As the weather gets warmer I find that while I don’t mind using my slow cooker for main meals, and don’t mind a hot meal in the summer, I am not much of a hot soup person. I’m not much of a cold soup person either.

All of that said, if it gets cold again after our warm weekend, the Southwest version of this soup might come in handy for Cinco de Mayo. Remember, I am going to give you the full recipe first, and then comments from my experience at the end. Depending on the size of your slow cooker, you will want to read all the way through before starting your cooking.

Potato, Cheddar, and Chive Soup

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

4 large potatoes, peeled and sliced

4 cups chicken stock, plus more as needed

1 large clove garlic

1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, or a mixture of sharp Cheddar and smoked Gouda

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup heavy cream, half-and-half, or sour cream (optional)

1/4 cup crumbled sharp Cheddar cheese, for garnish

What’s Next

• Place the potatoes and 1 cup of the stock in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until the potatoes are just tender.
• Transfer two-thirds of the potatoes to a food processor or blender, along with the cooking liquid. Add the garlic. Blend to the desired consistency: a blender will yield a smooth texture, a food processor a rough, rustic consistency.
• Return the potato purée to the slow cooker and stir in the shredded cheese, the remaining 1 cup stock, and the chives. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes, or until the soup is well heated. Add extra stock or water if the soup is too thick. Break up the whole potato slices with a fork to achieve a texture that suits you. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cream just before serving.
• Ladle into soup bowls, sprinkle with the crumbled cheese, and serve immediately.

Southwestern Potato-Cheddar Soup

For a Southwestern version of this soup, use cilantro instead of chives, and add 1 (4-ounce) can chopped roasted green chiles and 1 teaspoon each ground cumin and coriander.

Notes from my experience

The recipe doesn’t specify what size slow cooker to use. I used the recommended 2/3 cup of broth with the potatoes, but probably should have used 1 full cup for a 6-quart slow cooker.

I did follow the suggestion from the recipe and used my blender to puree the potatoes. Have I mentioned I have texture issues? It worked great. I ended up pureeing about ¾ of the potatoes rather than 2/3 of the potatoes; texture issues again. I didn’t want it too chunky.

In total, I probably used 2- 2 ½  cups of chicken broth to get the correct consistency for my taste.

A word to the wise: Do not make this recipe too far in advance. I’m used to making my slow cooker meals in the morning so they are ready on time for dinner. In this case, it’s better to make the soup only 3-3 ½ hours before serving.  Otherwise, the soup does start to burn on the side of the pot (even on low heat) and the chives lose their color.

In general though, it was a delicious recipe. Excellent with a rustic roll or bread served on the side.

Want to know more about my Crock It! Series?  You can read all about it here.

To purchase the book this recipe came from, click here.