You Can Turn a Bag of Frozen Pancakes Into a Pot of Soup.
I feel very comfortable as I write this. In this weather (cold) this is the only way to be. Being cozy has to do with being warm, but it has more to do with warm comfort. Soup, for example, is cozy. It warms from the inside, but also nourishes, saturates and fills the house with delicious and inviting aromas.
Potatoes are also delicious and I ate a lot of them. I was/are on a big baked Yukon high, but now I’m in soup mode with this very savory, creamy, and by the way, dairy-free potato and onion soup. (The sour cream on top isn’t dairy-free, but you can leave it out.) There are two superstar ingredients in this soup: a bag of frozen hash browns and sautéed onions .
Fritters save time. The potatoes are already peeled and finely grated, which means all you have to do is open the bag and pour them inside. Small pieces cook quickly and evenly, and purees become almost too light. You can use frozen hash browns in any potato soup you desire – just figure out how many potatoes the recipe calls for (by weight) and then add that amount. (However, I recommend that you try this recipe. It’s good.)
One of the reasons this recipe is so good is because of the fried onions, which add a huge amount of flavor to the dish. When mixed with all the other ingredients, they don’t taste burnt, but add a deep, dark, savory note with a touch of onion bitterness, like a slightly overcooked onion ring.
Apart from these two, you will need some garlic, your favorite broth or broth, and some bacon, mostly for the fat. (And you’ll use all the fat. As we said earlier, the key to a creamy dairy-free soup is to include plenty of fat .) You’ll notice there’s no dairy, and that wasn’t the case. t is completely intentional. Although I’m a big fan of cream-free cream soups, I intended to add a little half-and-half to this soup – and even made a little roux – but found it to be thick and juicy without it. If you want to make a vegan soup, just omit the bacon and cook the onions in a quarter cup of olive oil.
Cream of fried onion and potato soup
Ingredients:
- 6 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces (or 1/4 cup olive oil)
- 2 small onions or 1 1/2 medium onions, diced (I used yellow, but pick your favorite)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 package frozen pancakes (1 lb + 14 oz)
- 3 cups of your favorite stock or stock (I used 3 cups water + 3 teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon fried chicken base. Chicken-free base is also good.)
- Salt and pepper to taste (this will largely depend on how seasoned your broth is).
Add bacon to a large cold saucepan or Dutch oven and place over medium heat. Cook until crispy, then remove the pieces, leaving all the fat. If you are making a vegan version of this soup, omit the bacon and add 1/4 cup olive oil to the pot.
Add the onion, season with a couple of pinches of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is jammy, dark, and burnt around the edges but not burned, about 20 minutes to half an hour. They should look like this:
Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about a minute. Add pancakes, a handful at a time, stirring after each addition. Add the broth and stir vigorously, scraping the bottom of the pot to remove any burnt bits. Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are tender and the soup is hot.
Working in batches, puree the soup in a high-powered blender until creamy. Pour the soup into a large bowl or saucepan, taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve with the usual potato soup friends like bacon, sour cream, cheese and scallions.