Potato Soup (Anne Seal)

Ingredients

6 slices thin bacon into 1 inch pieces
1 whole medium onion
3 whole carrots, scrubbed clean and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
6 whole small russet potatoes peeled and diced
8 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
3 tbsps. all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 heavy whipping cream



 1/2 tsp. salt
Black pepper to taste
1/2 Cajun spice mix
1 tsp. minced fresh parsley
1 cup grated cheese of your choice

Directions

Add bacon pieces to a soup pot over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp and fat is rendered.  Remove the bacon from the pot and set it aside.  Pour off the grease, but do not clean the high heat and add the onions, carrots, and celery.  Stir and cook for 2 minutes, seasoning wit salt, pepper, and Cajun Spice.  Pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle boil.  Cook for 10 minutes until vegetables start to get tender.  Whisk together the flour and the milk, then pour into the soup and allow the soup to cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove half to 2/3 of the soup and blend in a blender/food processor until completely smooth.  Pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine.  Let it heat back up as you taste for seasoning needs.  Stir in cream, then stir in parsley, reserving a little for garnish.