Creamy Potato and Bacon Soup

This isn't what I started out to make for dinner tonight. I had planned to make my Leek and Potato soup. But I emptied both freezers looking for the gallon sized baggie filled with sliced up leeks and doggone, it was GONE!! You'll never guess. My teenage son ate them! Yup, I know it sounds like "My dog ate my homework!" I mean, really? My kid ate the leeks?  Next he'll be eating the brussel sprouts!  But truly. He told me that he'd been throwing them into soups and stuff and then they were gone! Of course, no one ever tells the grocery shopper when something is gone...  So, with the ingredients I had on hand, this is what I whipped up!

 Needed:

One package of bacon, sliced into strips.

3 pounds or so of peeled potatoes, cubed

one large onion, chopped

one large carrot, sliced

one can of evaporated milk (NOT CONDENSED sweet milk!!!)

Pepper, parsley

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Put sliced bacon pieces into stock pot, cook until well done, spooning off fat. Once bacon is done, add onions and cook until softened. Add potatoes, and carrot. At this point, add enough water to cover the potatoes. Not too much.

Bring to boil, simmer until potatoes are tender. Mash about 80% of the potatoes, add evaporated milk, pepper, and parsley. Simmer gently to bring back up to temperature. Salt, if you HAVE to. I prefer to allow everyone to salt to taste at the table.

If you want to thicken the soup a bit, add dehydrated potato flakes. The kind you would make instant mashed potatoes with. Just make sure they are really just potato, not something else added in there. 

Enjoy....  This is my favorite potato soup. It's my own rendition of soup made by my dear, dear lovely other mother, Helen Rebrovich. {{{  }}}

Bacon and Onions.

Potatoes all peeled and ready to be cut up.

Add cubed potatoes to pot. 

P.S. I left out the carrot on purpose. Jonathan has been complaining abut too many carrots lately. I prefer to have the carrot in there. It adds color too. 

Add just enough water to cover the potatoes.

See, just enough to cover. Don't flood them.

Bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer until potatoes are tender.

Check tenderness of potatoes.

Mash up a goodly portion of the potatoes. I like lots mashed, but I like chunks too.

Can you see the consistency?

 Add 1/2 stick of butter.

Just toss it on in.

Add lots of pepper.

Add one full can of evaporated milk. Not condensed sweetened milk. That's for making fudge, not soup!

To thicken up a little, add potato flakes. If you had too much water in the beginning, you'll need a bunch. Hopefully, just a bit now, maybe 1/2 cup.

Parsley for some color.

Nice and chunky, yet very creamy.

A plate of fresh sliced tomatoes or a green salad is all you need to round out the meal.

Dig in!!