Baked Potato Soup

I love this soup because it’s so versatile! Can’t do dairy? Swap almond, oat or a nut milk of your choice. Don’t eat meat? Take out the bacon. Here is how I made this soup containing potatoes and cream from Fall Creek Farms and kale from Laurelbrook Farms' kale paired with some garlic bread on Bread and Butters shiitake baguette.

• 6-8 potatoes from Fall Creek Farms, chopped
• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped
• 6-8 strips of bacon
• 1 bunch of kale from Laurelbrook Farms, remove stems and chop
• 1 onion, diced
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 C bone broth, veggie broth or stock
• 1 C raw cream from Fall Creek Farms (or sub milk and change ratio to 1:1 with broth and milk)
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste

Cut bacon in 1 inch strips and cook over medium heat in the soup pot. Once crispy, remove from pot with a slotted spoon leaving the grease behind. Put your onions and garlic in the pot. Cook until fragrant then add red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Sometimes I add other seasonings here like rosemary!

Add the rest of the ingredients besides the kale. Bring to a boil then let simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes and cauliflower are nearly done. Remove about half of the soup and blend until it’s puréed. Add back to soup then add chopped kale and cook for 5 more minutes or until vegetables are soft. Serve topped with the crispy bacon, green onions and some fresh cracked pepper. Always better paired with a shiitake baguette toasted with butter and garlic.

As promised, you get the recipe first and the fluff later but what good is a recipe if there is no story behind it? So this recipe, we feature Fall Creek Farms who is comprised of Bradley and Dana Bleasdale, along with their daughter Molly. Bradley and Molly take the reins in the field and greenhouses preparing organic veggies like the potatoes in this hearty soup, while Dana is the goat guru milking over fifty goats. As both Bradley and Dana have a diverse professional background before they began farming, their passion and commitment to their agricultural endeavor is something to be revered.

Did you know they have never…NEVER…missed a market in over a decade?! They are constantly trying new techniques regarding high tunnels, storage and products.

Like many farmers, they spend more time in the field than on computers so be sure to stop by their booth to hear how they persevered this week (after 40 baby goats were born) and to discover some well-loved, home grown goods that may have not been listed on their Shopify store.