potato soup with smothered onions
December 16, 2013 § 38 Comments
Here it is. The best potato soup I have ever eaten. Honestly. And it comes to us from the late Marcella Hazen. The potatoes produced a naturally thick and creamy texture and along with the well cooked onions and Parmesan cheese this soup became an endearing flavorful mid week dinner on a freezing December evening. We served it with a rustic olive baguette. If you are a fortunate owner of this fine cookbook you will find this recipe on page 96.
I n g r e d i e n t s
- 2 pounds boiling potatoes
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds onions, sliced very thin
- salt
- 3 1/2 cups stock
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus extra for serving
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
M e t h o d
Peel the potatoes, cut them into 1/2 inch cubes. Rinse in cold water and set aside. Put the butter, oil, all the sliced onions and a healthy pinch of salt in a soup pot, and turn on the heat to medium. Do not cover the pot. Cook the onions at a slow pace, stirring occasionally, until they have wilted an become colored a pale brown. Add the diced potatoes, turn up the heat to high and sauté the potatoes briskly, turning them in the onions to coat them well. Add the stock, cover the pot, and adjust the heat so that the stock comes to a slow, steady boil. When the potatoes are very tender, press most of them against the side of the pot with a long wooden spoon. Stir thoroughly and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes. If you find the soup becoming too thick, add up to a ladleful of stock.
Before turning off the heat, swirl in the grated parmesan and the parsley, then taste and correct for salt. Ladle into individual plates or bowls and serve with additional grated cheese on the side.
COTTAGE GROVE HOUSE 
What a comforting soup for this time of year.
It’s true Jovina. This one is very comforting, we loved it. I will put this soup in the rotation for sure.
Looks lovely and warming.
Thank you.. :)
What attracts me most about this recipe is the small number of ingredients. This is something I will definitely try even on a warm December evening in Wellington!
Me too Dolly, I am really drawn to recipes like this, so simple and yet so warmly flavorful. I would make this in the summer too! I must go see your blog, I’ve been slammed at work these past few weeks and not time whatsoever to visit all my favs!
Love a good ‘tato soup!
looks crazy good! And yes, Marcella Hazen RIP–she was a class act and lovely woman.
Yes indeed…crazy good is a great description. Don’t you love Marcella! Her books have always been a huge influence in my cooking.
What a perfect soup for a cold and dreary day that we are having today…looks so hearty!
Thank you so much. Very nice to hear from you…. :)
Seana – Simple, clean flavors and a lovely look to it and texture, I’m sure. A great winter recipe! – Shanna
This sounds delicious. And so simple. Yet, I would never have thought of it. Even though I love potatoes, caramelised onion and cheese. Yes, I do a baked potato and cheese soup – love it. Onion soup, on the other hand, I’ve made and tried to like several times – no way! This has to be the delicious in-between version of the two. Going to try this later in the week. As I have to buy in hard cheese, which I keep forgetting about.
Simplicity is all I can handle these past three weeks because work has been all consuming! I had to laugh at your onion soup comment…I really appreciate your honesty and always love your comments. Hope the potatoes level out the onions for you…the caramelizing is key here, I think. I don’t think I would like this at all if the onions had any crispness to them. :)
This soup is sensational! Which didn’t surprise me in the slightest. Why, oh why hadn’t I thought of using one of my favourites, as in pan-fried potatoes, within a soup. Especially as I’ve used them instead of croutons. At last I know! And will be making this again – soon. Like tonight :) Besides, I couldn’t get photos of it over the weekend. Far too dark here right now. Thank you for introducing me to a soup this good!
Hi. This looks fantastic! I just stumbled upon and purchased one of Marcella Hazan’s cook books — looks very interesting.
Oh good! Love Marcella Hazen. This soup isn’t even listed in the index in her book, I thought that was interesting. Perhaps she thought it was so humble and not index worthy. :) It is wonderful.
Yum!
Delicious soup….definitely one to do in this potato loving household
Wow, wow, wow! These are the types of recipes that don’t just fill my belly, but that soothe my soul as well. Thanks for sharing it!
Great soup. Love it!
This both sounds and looks fantastic! Yum!
Seana…what a lovely soup. Just perfect for these very cold and snowy days lately. You must have been reading my mind, I’ve been hungry for potato soup! <3
Well, our minds do have a tendency to think alike! :) Hope you are well and enjoying the Holiday season Prudy.
wow,this looks great.Have fever right now so maybe will have this!
Oh no! Hope you feel better, wish I could bring you some soup! ;)
It’s so cold right now, I can use a big bowl of this delicious soup. Lovely post…
Love the crime-scene title! I’m forever trying to tempt my youngest with creative-food names. I’m sure ‘smothered onions’ will win him over. This soup looks and sounds beautiful, and I’ve only heard good things about Marcella Hazen.
Ha! Crime-scene title! Didn’t occur to me, but now I like it even more. :) I’ll be making this again, however, definitely going with Johnny’s brilliant idea….pan fried potatoes on top! I love blogging…great ideas.
‘Smothered onions’, love it! Haha. The soup looks so, so delicious… I wish I was in cold weather so that I could curl up in an armchair and happily eat steaming bowls of it. Bookmarking this for when the cooler weather hits. I’ve never heard of Marcella Hazen but I will definitely look into more of her recipes :) Hope that you and your family have a beautiful Christmas Seana! xxx
:) Thank you Laura, cold weather certainly helps to really enjoy a comforting bowl of soup doesn’t it! Do look into Marcella Hazen. She really helped to simplify Italian cooking. I hope you and Aaron have a wonderful Christmas too! :)
So simple–with things I do have in the kitchen. perfect!! thanks for the recipe…
[…] recipes, from fellow bloggers, I decided on making to end the year. This time from the fabulous: COTTAGE GROVE HOUSE. And this is so good I made it for a second time, for my starter of the big ol’ CDay itself. […]
I am such a soup lover – even though it is summer here in Sydney and I’m not remotely hungry [for once] I would *love* a bowl of this right now.
I have several of Marcella Hazan’s cookbooks but have not tried this recipe. It sounds great and I’ll have to try it soon.
God bless Marcella Hazan. 7 ingredients and it’s absolutely delicious. Well done keeping that recipe handy.
Oooh another chef to discover! And again with delicious cheese :-)
[…] If butternut squash soup seems boring, try this unexpectedly rich and delicious potato soup from our very first Cookbook of the Month selection (way back in 2006). It may sound equally unassuming, but a hefty dose of caramelized onions makes it luxurious and deeply flavorful; the potatoes make it naturally creamy; and just a touch of cheese makes it even better. Get the Potato Soup with Smothered Onions recipe. […]