Barb's Potato Soup

This isn’t your standard cream-of-potato soup. The addition of cabbage and egg noodles gives it Polish or German pedigree, more like a stew than a chowder, with bacon doing the savory heavy work in the background.

Starting the bacon in butter is the foundation flavor here. The bacon renders its fat slowly, the butter keeps it from scorching, and what’s left in the pot is liquid gold for cooking the onions. Sweat the onions until just turning gold for sweetness, then the cabbage joins in. Cook it down until truly limp. Undercooked cabbage in a soup like this stays squeaky and unpleasant, so give it the time.

Diced potatoes and chicken broth go in next, simmering until almost tender. Egg noodles are the surprise addition that elevates this above ordinary potato soup. They go in toward the end, cooking on top of the simmering soup so they pick up flavor without going gummy.

Milk and cream finish things, and the second hit of butter at the end adds gloss and a final richness. Don’t boil after the dairy goes in. Just warm through and serve.

Garnish with crispy crumbled bacon and chopped chives or green onion tops.

Pro Tips

• Cut the potatoes uniformly. Mixed sizes cook unevenly and you’ll get some falling apart while others stay raw.
• Use Yukon Gold potatoes for a creamier soup that holds shape, or russets for a soup that breaks down a bit and self-thickens.
• Reserve some bacon crispy and crumbled for garnish, separate from the bacon cooked into the base. The texture contrast matters.
• Add the noodles last. Cooking them too long in the soup turns them mushy and starches up the broth uncomfortably.
• Refrigerated leftovers will thicken substantially. Loosen with a splash of milk when reheating.

Variations

• Add 1 cup of cubed ham along with the potatoes for even more savory depth.
• Stir in 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar at the end for a cheesy potato soup variation.
• Use kielbasa instead of bacon for a smokier, fully Polish-style soup.