recipes {the perfect potato soup}

so despite my long hours during the week, i have been trying to continue cooking homemade meals as often as possible. last week i made a wonderful potato soup that i will be sharing with you today!

i found this recipe via the pioneer woman, a very trustworthy source!! i've never made this sort of creamy potato soup before, but i loved it & mark went back for seconds...and thirds. that's got to say something, right! if you love baked potatoes you will die for this soup! it tasted just like a baked potato to me, but so much better - considering i don't really care for actual baked potatoes...am i crazy? maybe. but this soup is just delightful.

what you'll need >>
3 slices of thin bacon {i used turkey bacon}
1/2 medium white onion, diced
2 whole carrots, cleaned {or peeled]& diced
2 stalks of celery, cleaned & diced
3 small russet potatoes, peeled & diced
4 cups low sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock
11/2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp kosher salt
pepper to taste
1/4 tsp cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup of cheese of your choice for topping at the end

directions >>
1. cut the pieces of bacon into small pieces & place into a large soup pot over medium/high heat. cook until the bits of bacon are crisp. remove bacon & scoop out most of the bacon fat. leave some for flavor. {if using turkey bacon, there isn't much fat left so leave it all}
2. add diced onions, carrots & celery to the pot where the bacon was cooked. cook for 2 minutes. then add the diced potatoes, salt, pepper & cajun seasoning. cook for 5 more minutes.
3. pour in the broth & bring to a gentle boil. allow to cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are slightly tender.
4. mix the milk & flour together. pour mixture into the soup & stir. allow to cook for another 5 minutes or so.
5. remove 2/3 of the soup & put into a blender/food processor until creamy. {i used my immersion blender. i simply laddled about 2 cups of the soup into my 2 cup measuring cup & blended until smooth. dumped it back into the soup pot & did it again with 2 more cups of soup.}
>> at this point you will have a creamy soup with some chunks of potato & other veggies. if you don't like a chunky soup then just blend all of it! or if you want more chunks, blend less of it.
6. check the seasoning & add more salt/pepper if desired. finally, add the heavy cream & parsley, reserve some for garnish.
7. serve into individual bowls & top with cheese, a pinch of parsley & a sprinkle of those yummy bacon bits!