Potato soup a perfect winter warm-up

About a month ago, I had a message on my phone at work from an anonymous caller asking me if I knew of any great recipes for potato soup.

She had a craving.

I know all about those and, though I had plans for the food page already in place for the next couple of weeks, I knew I wanted to help this nice lady feed her craving.

I love potatoes these days, especially loaded baked potatoes. Normally, I try to eat sweet potatoes because their nutritional value is off the charts, but lately, I have wanted the good old fashioned russet baked potatoes.

One of my favorite recipes I've featured in this column is loaded baked potato casserole, a recipe given to me by my mother. That one is so easy to make and a real crowd pleaser as well.

But potato soup? As much as I love to enjoy a crock of it out at a restaurant, I'd never made any of my own. I was on a mission to find a recipe for this lady and started my mission with an online search.

The problem with searching for a recipe for a soup like this, one that has so many versions and spins, is that you're bombarded with an overwhelming amount of recipes staring you back in the face. How do you know what's good?

I looked through about 10 recipes and none of them really seemed like what I was looking for -- some called for leeks, some called for meat, some called for canned cheddar cheese soup ... none of which I was interested in. When I think of potato soup I think of rich, creamy, hearty and thick potato soup, made with real potatoes and nothing canned.

I became impatient with the Internet and turned to my friends in the newsroom, "Does anyone have a great recipe for potato soup?"

Carol Spray's response was my favorite. She basically looked at me like she was thinking, "Who needs a recipe for tater soup?" She told me she just boils the potatoes in water, adds some butter and milk and tops it with her favorite toppings. Simple enough. I so admire cooks who just make it up as they go. As much as I like to cook, I rely heavily on recipes because I am terrified of messing things up. The more I gain confidence in myself, though, the more I have been giving recipes my own twist, and veering from recipes.

Anyway, I decided I would make my own version of the soup. First, I cooked some bacon, reserving the drippings. While that was cooking, I peeled about six large russet potatoes and chopped a medium-sized onion. When the bacon was finished, I cooked the onion and some garlic in the bacon fat for about 10 minutes.

Once the onion was cooked up a bit, I added the potatoes, which I had diced into about one-inch cubes. I added chicken broth, just until the potatoes were covered, and about a teaspoon of salt and some pepper. I let the potatoes reach a boil and then turned the heat down to medium and let them cook until they were coming apart (Carol's tip), stirring occasionally.

After about 20 or 30 minutes the potatoes were clearly falling apart and very soft. I stirred them a bit and turned the heat way down to low. I slowly added half and half until I reached the creamy, thick texture I was looking for. You could add as much or as little as you like, depending on how thick or thin you like your soup. The potato soup was well-blended at this point, with a few chunks of potatoes left, which I liked.

It smelled delicious, and though I wasn't sure I wanted to mix in the Cheddar cheese (it had all gone so well until now, I didn't want to ruin it!), I decided to add a few handfuls. Once that was smoothly blended into the soup it was ready to be served.

I topped it with a little more shredded cheese, chopped bacon and also scallions, which I thought gave it just the right texture. It was awesome, and I don't think I would do a thing different. So, to my caller, I hope you warm up to this recipe, from me to you, on the next chilly fall night.

In doing my research, I also found some other autumn soups that sounded interesting, and those recipes follow as well.

Sadie's version of Potato Soup

6 bacon slices, drippings reserved

6 russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp. garlic, minced

chicken broth (about a can and a half or two cans)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 stick of butter

half and half (I used about a cup)

2 cups of Cheddar cheese

4 green onions

Cook bacon and set aside. Cook onion and garlic in bacon drippings for about 10 minutes. To that, add diced potatoes. Add chicken broth, just until potatoes are covered. Bring potatoes to a boil, add salt and pepper, then reduce heat to medium and cook 25 to 30 minutes, until potatoes are very soft and coming apart.

Stirring potatoes frequently, turn heat down to low. Add in butter and stir until blended. Slowly add half and half until the soup has reached a thickness of your liking. Add about a cup or so of cheese, and stir until well blended.

Top with more cheese, scallions and bacon bits.

Sweet potato and Apple Soup

2 (1 pound) sweet potatoes, quartered

1 large tart apple, peeled and cored

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

1 bay leaf

5 cups chicken broth

1 cup cream

1 lemon, zested and juiced

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the sweet potatoes and apple on a greased baking sheet, and roast for about 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender. Cool, and peel sweet potatoes.

Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, bay leaf, and carrot; sauté until tender. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Pour in the chicken broth, and add the sweet potato and apple. Puree in batches using a regular blender, or if possible use an immersible blender to puree while in the pot.

Return to the soup pot, and stir in the cream, lemon zest and lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Heat through, but do not boil. Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with crumbled cheese.

Autumn Sausage Corn Soup

("I cook this frequently throughout the year, but my family especially loves it on cold nights. Cayenne pepper, sausage and ham lend to its fabulous Cajun flavor." -- Belinda D., Westlake, La.)

3/4 pound fully cooked, smoked sausage, sliced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

3 green onions, chopped

3 1/2 cups water

1 package (16 oz.) frozen corn

1 1/2 cups cubed, fully cooked ham

1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon salt, optional

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Hot pepper sauce to taste

In a large skillet, cook and stir sausage over medium-0high heat until browned; drain well and set aside.

In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, cook and stir the flour in oil over medium heat for five minutes or until golden brown. Add the onion, green pepper and green onions; sauté until tender. Stir in the water, corn, ham, tomatoes, tomato paste, salt if desired, cayenne, hot pepper sauce and sausage. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Serves 11