Six ounces of smoked bacon or diced ham renders first, and its drippings are what the onion, celery and Cajun seasoning cook in. Nothing else in this soup carries smoke, so that fat is doing real work.
Two tablespoons of flour turn those drippings into a roux, which is why four cups of broth and a pound and a half of potatoes end up creamy on only a cup of milk and half a cup of cream.
Why This Recipe Works
- Cooking the Cajun seasoning in the drippings for thirty seconds blooms it before any liquid dilutes it.
- A flour roux built in the rendered fat thickens the broth without needing a heavy pour of dairy.
- Yukon Golds simmered 18 to 20 minutes go fully tender while still holding their shape as chunks.
- The milk and cream go in last and are warmed gently, so nothing splits.
Ingredient Notes
- Smoked bacon or diced ham
- Six ounces, either one. Half renders into the base and half is kept back for the top.
- Yukon Gold potatoes
- A pound and a half, diced. Waxy enough to stay in visible chunks after 18 to 20 minutes.
- Cajun seasoning
- A teaspoon and a half, bloomed in the drippings rather than stirred into the broth.
How to Make It
Render and split
Cook bacon in a Dutch oven until browned; transfer half to a plate.
Soften and bloom
Cook onion and celery in the drippings for 5 minutes. Add garlic and Cajun seasoning for 30 seconds.
Roux, broth, potatoes
Stir in flour for 1 minute, then gradually add broth. Add potatoes and simmer 18 to 20 minutes until tender.
Dairy, gently
Stir in milk and cream and warm gently without boiling hard.
Serve
Serve with reserved bacon or ham, parsley and black pepper.
What Carries This Soup
A potato soup has very little to hide behind. Four things give this one its character, and three of them are established before any liquid goes in the pot.
- Smoke and salt6 oz smoked bacon or diced ham, rendered first and divided
- The only smoky ingredient in the recipe, and the fat it leaves behind is what everything else is cooked in. Half stays crisp for the bowl because a simmer would soften it.
- Heat and spice1 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning, bloomed 30 seconds in the drippings
- In hot fat rather than in broth. Thirty seconds is enough to carry it through four cups of liquid; stirred in later it stays dusty and flat.
- Body2 tbsp flour cooked into the drippings, plus 1 1/2 lb of Yukon Golds
- The roux does most of the thickening and the potato starch does the rest, which is why so little dairy is needed.
- Richness, added last1 cup whole milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Warmed through gently at the end. A modest amount, because the roux has already done the work - and never boiled hard, which is what would split it.
Season with black pepper at the table; Cajun blends vary in salt and the cured pork has already brought its own.
Success Tips
- Reserve half the pork the moment it is browned, before the vegetables go in.
- Add the broth gradually to the roux and keep whisking, or the soup will be lumpy.
- Keep the pot below a hard boil once the milk and cream are in.
Serving Ideas
Six servings in white bowls, creamy with visible potato chunks, topped with the reserved bacon or ham, parsley and black pepper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bacon or ham?
Either. The recipe calls for six ounces of smoked bacon or diced ham.
Why keep half the pork back?
Anything simmered into the soup loses its crispness. The reserved half is what gives the finished bowl texture.
What thickens it?
A two-tablespoon flour roux built in the rendered drippings, not the dairy.
