Red Potato Soup

The original plan was to follow this recipe, but as it came along I ended up making several changes. Click on the link to see the original recipe. The soup came out good but after the changes it does not taste like O'Charley's soup. I think that it came out a little spicy, which can be controlled by the amount of hot sauce that you add.

Red Potato Soup: adapted from:

http://www.recipezaar.com/OCharleys-Loaded-Potato-Soup-18599

Ingredients:
24 oz red potatoes, cubed unpeeled)
2 tbsp butter
2tbsp flour
3 cups whole milk
1 cup buttermilk
8 oz package Velveeta cheese, melted (I used reduced-fat)
½ tsp. white pepper
½ tsp. garlic powder
several shakes of hot pepper sauce
pinch of salt
pinch of onion powder

Directions:
1. Dice unpeeled red potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes.
2. Place in large saucepan; cover with water and bring to a boil.
3. Let boil for 10 minutes or until 3/4 cooked.
4. In a separate pan, combine melted butter and flour, mixing until smooth.
5. Place over low heat and gradually add milk & buttermilk, stirring constantly.
6. Continue to stir until smooth and liquid begins to thicken.
7. Add melted Velveeta.
8. Stir well.
9. Drain potatoes and add to cream mixture.
10. Stir in pepper, garlic powder and hot pepper sauce.
11. Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
12. Blend soup with either a stand or immersion blender. (Be sure to leave some chunks)
13. Cook vegetarian bacon in a non-stick skillet, cook each side for about 3 minutes, “bacon” will be crispy.
14. Chop “bacon” and top the soup with it.

Red Roasted Potatoes

Roasted Red Potatoes:
My Original Recipe

1 lb red potatoes (1 inch dice)
1 T diced white onion

1 tsp garlic

1 tsp basil

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees (I used our toaster oven)

2. Wash and dry potatoes, dice potatoes into 1 inch cubes and place into a small bowl

3. Add diced onion, garlic, basil, oregano and Italian seasoning

4. Mix potatoes by hand.

5. Spread the potatoes into a single layer onto a greased cookie sheet (I used Pam)

6. Spray the top of the potatoes with Pam (helps with browning)

7. Bake for 25 minutes

8. Broil for additional 2 minutes if not browned to your liking.

3 Servings

Potato Leek Soup

This soup is so good that I can't wait to make it again. For tips on preparing leeks check out this video: http://www.expertvillage.com/video/41807_leek-soup-preparing-leeks.htm

Recipe by: Alton Brown

1 pound leeks, cleaned and dark green sections removed, approximately 4 to 5 medium (chopped into small pieces)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Heavy pinch kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning

14 ounces, approximately 3 small, Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced small

1 quart vegetable broth or 28 oz vegetable broth + 4 oz water

1 cup heavy cream 1 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 tablespoon snipped chives (optional)

Directions:

1. In a 6-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.

2. Add the leeks and a heavy pinch of salt and sweat for 5 minutes.

3. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook until the leeks are tender, approximately 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the potatoes and the vegetable broth, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.

5. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer until the potatoes are soft, approximately 20 minutes.

6. Turn off the heat and puree the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth.

7. Stir in the heavy cream, buttermilk, and white pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.

8. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately, or chill and serve cold.

*I don't have an immersion blender so I used a standard blender.

Twice Baked Red Potatoes

Ingredients:
10 small/ medium red potatoes
¼ c skim milk
2 tbsp reduced fat sour cream
2 tbsp 1/3 less fat cream cheese
2 tbsp butter or margarine
Adobo to taste (type of seasoning salt)
Fresh ground pepper to taste
2-3 oz 2% milk sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Directions:

-Thoroughly wash and dry potatoes and pierce the skin several times with a fork then wrap in foil.

-Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees (check them at 30 minutes because mine were finished at this time)

-Let potatoes slightly cool and using a small spoon (I found that using a baby spoon works well), scoop out main portion of each potato half, leaving a solid shell.

-Place scooped out potato into bowl with cheeses, sour cream, butter, spices, and skim milk.

-Mix together with a hand mixture for 1-2 minutes.

-Prepare baking sheet.

-Carefully spoon mixture into the shell of the potatoes using a spoon or it can be piped in.

-Place potatoes onto baking sheet.-Bake filled potatoes until heated thoroughly, browning slightly on top, approximately 10 minutes.