The Best Potato Soup Recipe

Potato soup is an old-fashioned classic that has the most wonderful texture. Topped with crunchy homemade croutons, salty bacon pieces and aromatic chives this recipes brings together flavour and texture for a delicious lunch or dinner. To keep the colour nice and bright in this potato soup we’ve swapped out the usual leeks for onions. Keeping the ingredients mostly white means your finished soup will be a beautiful cream colour.

Ingredients

• 90g butter
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• few sprigs thyme, leaves picked
• 900g maris piper potatoes, peeled and chopped into cubes
• 1ltr chicken stock
• 125ml single cream
• 120g pancetta or bacon, roughly chopped
• ½ bunch of chives, chopped

For the croutons:

• 150g sourdough, torn into small pieces
• 6tbsp olive oil
• head of garlic, sliced through the middle
• zest of a lemon

Method

1. Melt half the butter in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onions celery, garlic and thyme and cook over a low heat for 15mins.
2. Add the potatoes and stock, and season well. Leave to simmer for 25mins until the potatoes are cooked. Meanwhile, fry the bacon until crisp then set aside, and make the croutons.
3. To make the croutons, heat oven to 200C/Gas 6. Break up the head of garlic and toss with the bread in the oil. Transfer to a baking tray and bake for 20 mins until crisp, then toss through the lemon zest.
4. Add the cream and remaining butter to the soup, and blend until smooth. Divide between bowls and top with the bacon, croutons and chives to serve.