Recipe: Loaded Potato Chowder

I whipped up this decadent soup the other night, making it up as I went along -- that's usually how I approach soup-making -- but this one came out so good that I've got to write it down. Sorry, it's not for vegans nor Atkins people. This is a hearty, fatty winter soup that's a stick-to-your-ribs meal in a bowl. You non-bacon, non-dairy, no-carb guys might live a few years longer, but then again, you don't get to have this soup. Let's call it Loaded Potato Chowder.


Loaded Potato Chowder

4 large Russet potatoes (scrubbed and cubed, skin on)
8 or so mushrooms, sliced or diced
4 or 5 pieces of bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 or 3 scallions, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1 packet Goya Sazon garlic & onion
1 cup milk
1/2 stick butter
a little white wine
fresh dill
tbsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil

In a big soup pot, pour a few drops of olive oil and cook the bacon, potatoes and onion together over medium heat. Stir the mixture until the bacon looks about done and its juices coat the potatoes. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper. (This is the point where your husband walks in exclaiming about how it didn't take very long to start smelling amazing in here).

Add white wine and stir some more. Wooden spoon works best. The wine will un-stick the bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add chicken stock, mushrooms, scallion, Goya Sazon and bring to boil for about ten minutes. Lower heat and add milk and the fresh dill.

Finish by stirring in the butter.

Serve when it smells so good people are lining up with spoons.

Notes:
This combo of potatoes with bacon, onions and mushrooms is so good that it surely must be represented elsewhere online. I didn't use a recipe, I was just going by what I had on hand, so you can do that too. Omit what you don't like, make substitutions, whatevs. That's what's great about soups, they are wildly versatile.