The Potato

Who doesn't love a potato?  The range of food created from one of the most popular "root" vegetables is astonishing; baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, french fries, scalloped potatoes, stuffed potatoes, potato skins, hashbrowns, latkes, potato casseroles, potato salad, and of course - potato soup.

After the meatloaf success, I decided to go two-for-two with Paula Deen and try her Potato Soup with Shrimp recipe (I promise I won't only post the Butter Queen's recipes, but you gotta love her food!).  Anyway, the verdict - Score!  

Now while this recipe isn't quite as quick and easy as the meatloaf, there are a few ways to speed things up a bit.  The recipe I'll list below is the adjusted version, but if you want to stick to the original you can find it at www.foodnetwork.com and search "Potato Soup and Shrimp."  I've bolded all the ingredients throughout so you can get them ready before you start.

The first thing you need to do is decide what kind of shrimp you want to use.  The original recipe calls for fresh shrimp.  In that version you have to cook the shrimp, peel the shrimp, de-vein the shrimp, and remove the tails.  No thank you.  I bought one pound of frozen pre-cooked, tail-off shrimp that had already been peeled and de-veined.  So the only thing you need to do is put the shrimp in the fridge the morning you want to make the soup and let it thaw.

The next thing you have to do is peel potatoes - 8 medium Russet potatoes.  There's no easy way around that - but there are some nifty tools out there to help you get it done faster and a little bit safer.  There's the Palm Peeler available at Target for $6, the Titan Peeler from Bed, Bath, and Beyond for $15, or go retro with the Back to Basics A-505 Apple/Potato Peeler with Suction Base from Amazon for about $13 . . . in red, of course.  Choose your weapon and peel!  Once that's done, cube your potatoes into bite-size pieces and throw them in a bowl full of ice water to keep them from turning brown.

Microwave 1/2 cup of hot milk and throw 2 chicken bouillon cubes in there to dissolve.  Set aside.


Next up dice one small onion and two medium carrots (I left the carrots out-ick) and throw them in a 4 quart or larger saucepan with half a stick of butter.  Saute for about five minutes, or until the carrots and onion pieces are tender.  Then whisk in 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, and cook for 1 minute.

Drain your potatoes and toss them in the pan along with 4 cups of milk (D, 2%, or Skim) and the bouillon/milk mixture you made a minute ago.  Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes start to get mushy.  Then add 1 cup half-and-half, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Turn heat down to a simmer.

Finally - add your shrimp and stir well.  Serve with bacon crumbles and shredded cheddar on top!  (Matt really likes a couple of drops of hot sauce in his...it was pretty tasty, but I wouldn't add it to the whole pot.)  
*Also, if you want to let your soup simmer for an hour or so before you eat, wait and add your shrimp about 10 or 15 minutes before eating so they don't overcook.


Happy Cooking!