Let's Talk Potatoes

Who doesn't love potatoes? Many Americans, when asked to name their number 1 comfort food, will name mashed potatoes. French fries/chips are the most popular "vegetable" side dish in many restaurants and homes. The Potato Famine in Ireland drove a couple million people from their homeland and into America to avoid starvation. Clearly this is an important crop. But what do we know about it?

Potatoes are from South America, specifically Peru. People in Peru first began cultivating this plant around 34000 B.C.E. That's a long damn time! The potato didn't make it to Europe until the 1500s.

Like the tomato, it is a member of the nightshade family. Also like the tomato (which we know is a fruit), the potato is used for protection. Potatoes are ruled by the moon and their element is earth.

Potatoes are an excellent full-moon food and also good for grounding. Potatoes eaten for protection should be seasoned with onions, chives, rosemary, parsley, or dill for maximum effect. Potato dishes are good to eat after energy has been raised, in order to help ground the participants. I have served potato soup after meditation workshops to help people ground themselves.

If you're looking for a warm, comforting soup to serve this autumn, here is a recipe for maximum comfort: Loaded Baked Potato Soup. Who doesn't love a loaded baked potato, with cheese, sour cream, bacon and green onions or chives? My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Ingredients:

8 ounces bacon, chopped into small pieces
2 1/2- 3 lbs potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and cut into cubes
1 large onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons AP (all-purpose) flour
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 cup whole milk
2 cups shredded cheese - Colby, Cheddar, what you will
3-4 green onions, sliced thin, for garnish
sour cream, for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the bacon in your soup pot until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon but reserve the drippings. Cook the onion in the bacon drippings until soft. Add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook about 1 minute. Whisk in the broth and milk. Add the cubed potatoes and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cover Cook until the potatoes fork-tender, 7-10 minutes. (Cut the cubes fairly small so they will cook more quickly.)

Remove about 2 cups of cooked potato cubes and set aside. Puree the rest of the soup in a blender or using a stick blender. Reheat the soup over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese to melt. Return the reserved pieces of potato to the pot. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with crispy bacon, sliced green onions, and dollops of sour cream.

I think I'll be making this over the weekend. A friend of mine returned to the United States yesterday and gave me some bacon before leaving. Woo hoo!