And here is the printable version of the recipe I used:
Gutter Runner’s Potato Soup
1 lb bacon
5 lbs potatoes (Russet or Idaho Gold)
2 large white onions
5 stalks celery
2 bunchs green onions
5 carrots (or ~10 oz. bag of Julienne carrots)
12 chicken bullion cubes
3 ˝ tsp salt
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 spoonfuls minced garlic
3 ˝ tsp basil
1 tsp crushed red pepper
5 tsp Franks Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce
1 stick butter
1 pint heavy whipping cream
Additional items and substitutes:
Cheese (sharp cheddar, longhorn, parmesan, i.e. cheese with character)
Chives
Sour Cream
Cut the bacon into 1” pieces. Fry the bacon in the stock pot until very crispy. Remove the bacon, and drain grease from stock pot (leave bacon “residue” in the pot). Peel the potatoes and cut into 1” cubes. Larger cubes will result in “chunkier” soup. Cut onions into fairly small chunks. Slice up green onions. Slice celery stalks. Julienne the carrots (if purchased whole). Put all in the pot, cover with water, and bring to a roiling boil.
Add the following: chicken bullion, salt, black pepper, minced garlic, basil, red pepper, and hot sauce.
Stir. Bring the soup to a rolling boil uncovered, then turn it down a bit to just a steady low boil, covered for 1.5-3 hrs. It does not have to be a heavy boil the whole time. Keep an eye on the soup, if it starts getting too thick, add some water right away and reduce it to a simmer. After boiling a few hours, it will thicken nicely. If short on time, the soup can be thickened by adding flour (flavor will not be as full though). Reduce the heat to a simmer.
Stir in the bacon, butter, and whipping cream. Let simmer for ~1/2 hour. Serve with bread/butter, and favorite local brew.
Chicken stock (~4-8 cups stock; water to cover) may be substituted for bullion. Ham or 2 to 3 smoked ham hocks may be substituted for bacon. Up to 2 lbs of bacon has been used. Cheese may be added or used as topping.
The hot sauce should go in right away. I'm trying to figure out why some people are getting the applesauce problem. Maybe our definitions of simmer differ. When I set my stove to simmer, it does not boil the soup at all, it pretty much just keeps it hot. So,
1. Cover ingredients with water.
2. Bring to a rolling boil. Meaning its bubbling like crazy, the ingredients are stirring themselves in the middle of the pot. You want to stir the soup often.
3. Cover the pot and bring down to a low boil. Meaning its bubbling, but not a whole lot. If the stove was set on 8 on step 2, now its set on 4 for this step. You still want to check your soup often and stir. Keep an eye on its consistency. You will see it starting to thicken after its been on the stove for a couple hours. You don't want to get it too thick, thats when you get your applesauce, or worse yet, the dreaded mashed potatoes. If its getting too thick, turn the heat down low, and stir in more water.
4. Now bring down to low heat. I call it simmer, because thats what it says on my stove. Meaning, not boiling at all, just keeping the soup hot. This is when you stir in your stick of butter, then your whipping cream.
Hope this helps clarify a few things. Good luck!
