Potato Cheese Soup

It was a cold, dark, rainy day here yesterday, so we thought it would be a good night for some warm, cheesy, starchy goodness for dinner. This is one of our favorite soups so I thought I'd share the recipe with you since I've noticed some of you got *eek* snow yesterday!

Looks yummy right?!

Potato Cheese Soup

3-4 tablespoons of butter
2 cups chopped onions
1 large garlic clove, minced
4-5 large red potatoes, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
3 cups chicken stock (You can substitute water or vegetable stock. I haven't tried water, but personally, I find that the vegetable stock makes the soup too sweet.)
1 teaspoon dried dill
4 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, saute onions and garlic in butter until onions are translucent. Add potatoes and carrots. Saute 5-10 minutes longer. Add the stock or water and dill. Use a wooden spoon to get up all the little brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Cover and simmer until all vegetables are tender.

Puree about half of the vegetables with the milk and cream cheese in a blender or food processor. (We like ours a little thicker and less chunky, so we puree about 3/4 of the vegetables. You could also puree all the vegetables if you wanted.) Return to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cheddar cheese and reheat gently.

Serve by itself or with a nice crusty loaf of bread. (We like multi-grain!)

Enjoy :)