RCP: Potato Soup with Fried Almonds

Adapted from a recipe found on Food52.com - I added the onion, carrot and celery and altered some cooking times. Very flavorful and lip smackingly good.

Potato Soup with Fried Almonds

Ingredients

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1 small onion diced
1 medium carrot diced
1 small stalk celery finely diced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup slivered almonds (pkg said BOTH 2oz and 1/2 cup, go figure)
5 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup (about 2 ounces) diced serrano ham or prosciutto
4 cups chicken broth, or more if needed
1 pinch saffron, crushed
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, preferably aged, or more to taste
2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
Dense country bread, for serving

Preparation

Cut the potatoes into irregular chunks by inserting the tip of a
small, sharp knife into a potato and twisting until a 1 1/2 chunk
comes out. Repeat until the entire potato is cut up, then continue
with the remaining potatoes; set aside. Alternately, roughly chop in 1
1/2 inch chunks (this is what I did). Peeling is optional.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add
the almonds and garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, 4 to 5
minutes, adjusting the heat so the oil doesn’t burn. Using a slotted
spoon, transfer the almonds and garlic to a bowl to cool slightly. Add the onion, carrot and celery
to the pan and sweat for a few minutes. Add the ham and potatoes and cook,
stirring, for another several minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a
boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat
and simmer the soup.

Meanwhile, place the almond and garlic mixture in a food processor and
grind it. If you like almond bits in your soup, grind the mixture
somewhat coarsely; otherwise, grind it fine. Add all but about 2
tablespoons to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Steep the saffron in a few tablespoons of the soup broth for 2
minutes, then add it to the soup. Simmer the soup, partially covered,
until about half the potatoes have disintegrated, about 35 minutes.
Skim the soup as it cooks if you like, and add a little more stock if
the soup seems too thick.

When ready to serve, check the texture of the soup. If you’d like it
creamier, break up some of the potatoes with a sturdy spoon. Add the
vinegar to the reserved ground almond mixture and stir it into the
soup. Add the parsley and cook for a minute. Taste for seasoning,
adding a little more vinegar if necessary. Serve the soup with good crusty bread.

[Jenise]

That sounds utterly fantastic. Very Spanish--I'll be the inventor of this recipe didn't say "or proscuitto". I will happily give this a try soon!

You make me aware that I've really only had two other potato soups. Vichysoisse, of course, in a number of forms, and a potato soup that an ex used to make starting with a can of Campbell's cream of potato soup, to which more milk and potatoes are added and finally, it's finished with bacon and green onions. I still make something like it and simply call it potato chowder, skipping the Campbell's and thinning it with some chicken broth.

I've really only had the creamy style potato soups as well except for a potato-leek soup with a chicken stock base.

This was actually referred to as a "sexy potato soup." I actually made it without the carrot and celery though I added the onion, and I'm sure the other additions would change the basic character of the soup - but I think for the better. I'm sure the original was shooting for potato-garlicky goodness only.

I'd probably also start with rendered bacon fat the next time rather than the olive oil, not that the olive oil isn't good.

This does sound wonderful. (I am still swooning over a potato soup that I had a few years ago in Scotland... cullen skink!)