Potato Soup

Potato soup is definitely one of those comfort meals that I crave on a cold day.  Since I was able to buy a 10 pound bag of potatoes on sale today for $1.99 at my grocery store, I decided to make a big pot of potato soup.  This soup is so creamy and good, and now I have enough to freeze some for a later date and have some for lunch during this week.  I first started making this after I had some of my mom's so my version is almost the same as hers.  Just a word of warning, for some of the ingredients I add until it tastes right so I'll try to estimate my quantities, but it may not be exactly how much I use so I'll talk about that in the recipe.  The quantities in the recipe below are enough to make a big stockpot full so if you don't want that much you should cut in half.

Ingredients:

5-6 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bitesize pieces
1 large onion, chopped
4-5 stalks celery, chopped
4 tablespoons garlic
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 stick butter
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup heavy cream
milk (this is where I'm not exactly sure on the measurements because I just add a little at a time until the soup reaches the consistancy that I want, but I'm guessing I use around 4 cups or so)
salt, pepper, and garlic pepper to taste (again I don't know how much I use because I keep adding and tasting, but I use a lot for a big pot!)
2-3 tablespoons chopped chives

Directions:

1.  In a large stockpot, combine potatoes, onion, celery, and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add enough water to just cover the vegetables, and bring to a boil. 

2.  Boil until potatoes easily come apart when you try to cut with a fork (about 20-30 minutes).  Drain off a little water, but leave enough so that it comes midway up the potato mixture. 

3.  At this time use an immersion blender to blend everything all together until smooth (you could also do this in batches in a blender, but I love immersion blenders so I think it's a good appliance to invest in if you make creamy soups a lot).

4.  Stir in butter, sour cream, shredded cheese, and heavy cream.  Then start slowly adding milk and stirring together until everything is combined.  Add as much milk as you need to so that the soup is at the consistancy you want. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic pepper to taste (again the best way is to keep adding a little at a time and tasting until it tastes right)

5.  Stir in your chopped chives and serve.