What about prom?

I used to be one of those people who was terrified of straying from a recipe; cooking without exact guidelines was a magical feat performed by others far more talented than myself. However, since I began shopping at farmers’ markets and developing a taste for simple meals made with high quality produce, I have mostly been cooking variations of a few simple dishes with whatever I have available.

One of the simplest meals one can make is soup. I love potato soup, and I have made many different versions over the years using recipes of varying complexity. Recently I decided to streamline my favorite recipes and create a basic template for potato soup which can handle almost endless variations. My expectations were to create a flavorful soup that was easy to make and did not require stock (something that definitely adds flavor but that I never seem to have on hand) and could be made with various ingredients I normally have in stock.

First, I put about 8-10 small yukon gold potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover them. I added a few whole, peeled cloves of garlic, salt and pepper, and brought the mixture to a boil before turning the heat down to medium low and cooking for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes were soft enough for a fork to pass through easily. At the same time, I browned one chopped onion in a cast iron skillet with butter. Once the potatoes were done, I scooped out the garlic and mashed it into a paste before adding it back to the potato pot. I turned the temperature down to low and mashed the potatoes and garlic paste with a plastic potato masher until just slightly chunky. I added the onions, 2 ounces of fresh chevre, 4 ounces of cheddar, about half a cup of milk, salt and pepper to taste and continued to cook uncovered until all of the cheese melted and the mixture thickened.

The whole process took maybe 30 minutes and the result was delicious enough to get my significant other excited about soup. Almost everything in the recipe can be substituted with something else- different kinds of cheese, other root vegetables such as turnips added with the potatoes, butter or cream instead of milk. If you have stock, you can boil the potatoes in that instead of water for a richer flavor, something I recommend if you leave the dairy out to make the soup vegan. Other spices such as cayenne kick up the flavor, and the addition of oyster crackers or crispy bacon bits adds a delightful crunchy texture.