How to improve bland potato soup?

Adding an acid like vinegar or lemon juice and incorporating fresh herbs can also help add flavor to a potato soup. While you may not need to implement all of these strategies, it's good to keep them in the back of your mind for when you realize your next pot of soup needs a flavor boost.

How do you make potato soup less gummy?

The recommended method here is to press the potatoes through a ricer (instead of using a blender), which gives the soup a light and clean texture and eliminates the gluey consistency common in other recipes.

What is the best thickening agent for potato soup?

Combine cornstarch and a little bit of water—or the chicken stock from the soup—in a small bowl. With the soup simmering over medium-low heat, whisk in the slurry. The soup should start to thicken almost immediately.

How can I deepen my soup flavor?

"If your broth is lacking in savory richness, try adding roasted onion, tomato paste, mushrooms, seaweed, soy sauce, or miso . These ingredients add umami flavor and depth to broth," she says. The choice of ingredient depends on the recipe, though.

How do you keep potatoes from getting mushy in potato soup?

Cut the potatoes into rissolettes and blanche them (i.e. cook them briefly, not to full doneness). Use the water you used in the soup and put the potatoes back in when you go to warm the soup again for serving. Since they're cut fairly small, they should be just about done without being mushy when you go to eat.

Can I use instant potato flakes to thicken potato soup?

Yes. Incredibly effective? You bet . This trick works because the instant mashed potatoes are naturally starchy and therefore are similar in form to other commonly used thickeners, such as cornstarch, only without the clumps.

Why does my potato soup taste bland?

Not Adding Acid . If a soup is tasting bland in the bowl, consider adding acid rather than salt. A squeeze of lemon or lime, or a dash of yogurt or sour cream can add brightness to the bowl.

How do you make bland soup taste better?

Perk up a Bland Soup With Simple Pantry Staples Chances are, you could use a little more salt . Go ahead—it's ok. Salt perks up flat flavors and helps balance out bitter-tasting ingredients. Some freshly cracked pepper helps, too!

How do you fix bland potatoes?

Try reheating the potatoes in a pan, tossing quickly with a little warm liquid and then adding the spices, cheeses, etc. just before serving . Vary the cheeses to get a sharper, more intense flavor.

Anya von Bremzen's Potato Soup with Fried Almonds Recipe on Food52 (2024)

One-Pot Wonders

by: Genius Recipes

October16,2012

4.6

9 Ratings

Anya von Bremzen's Potato Soup with Fried Almonds Recipe on Food52 (1)

Serves 4 as an appetizer

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

Ruggedly handsome and mysterious, this is a potato soup that leaves the co*ck-a-leekies and chowders of the world to quietly play cards, while it goes traveling solo through Andalucia on a moped.

Food52er EmilyC, who tipped us off to this recipe, said, "It's the most beguiling, delicious potato soup I've ever made or eaten." Luisa Weiss of The Wednesday Chef called it the sexiest. Ladle it up, pass it around, and let winter's shackles fall away. Adapted slightly from The New Spanish Table (Workman Publishing Company, 2005) —Genius Recipes

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients

1 ¹/₂ poundsYukon Gold potatoes
¹/₄ cupextra-virgin olive oil
¹/₂ cupwhole blanched almonds
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
¹/₃ cup(about 2 ounces) finely diced serrano ham or prosciutto
4 cupschicken broth, or more if needed
1 pinchsaffron, crushed
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoonssherry vinegar, preferably aged, or more to taste
2 tablespoonsminced flat-leaf parsley
Dense country bread, for serving

Directions

Cut the potatoes into irregular chunks by inserting the tip of a small, sharp knife into a potato and twisting until a 1 1/2 chunk comes out. Repeat until the entire potato is cut up, then continue with the remaining potatoes; set aside. Alternately, roughly chop in 1 1/2 inch chunks. Peeling is optional.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the almonds and garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes, adjusting the heat so the oil doesn't burn. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the almonds and garlic to a bowl to cool slightly. Add the ham to the pan and stir for 1 minute. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the soup.
Meanwhile, place the almond and garlic mixture in a food processor and grind it. If you like almond bits in your soup, grind the mixture somewhat coarsely; otherwise, grind it fine. Add all but about 2 tablespoons to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Steep the saffron in a few tablespoons of the soup broth for 2 minutes, then add it to the soup. Simmer the soup, partially covered, until about half the potatoes have disintegrated, about 35 minutes. Skim the soup as it cooks if you like, and add a little more stock if the soup seems too thick.
When ready to serve, check the texture of the soup. If you'd like it creamier, break up some of the potatoes with a sturdy spoon. Add the vinegar to the reserved ground almond mixture and stir it into the soup. Add the parsley and cook for a minute. Taste for seasoning, adding a little more vinegar if necessary. Serve the soup with bread.

Tags:

Soup
Stew
Potato
Almond
Parsley
Saffron
Vinegar
One-Pot Wonders
Serves a Crowd
Fall
Winter

See what other Food52ers are saying.

Nadja Stein
Mae
bellly
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Recipe by: Genius Recipes

Popular on Food52

28 Reviews

Cmoore828 February 23, 2021

I made this soup and thought it was good, but then I added the sherry vinegar and WOW. The sherry vinegar brings out every flavor (except the almond).
My only question is why add the almonds? I ground them finely but they are just little irritants in the soup.
Next time I’d add even more garlic (used 9 large cloves this time) fry/brown the garlic & make a paste, then add.
Impressed w how creamy the soup is w no cream/milk.
Before I added the vinegar, I considered making it into clam chowder. It would be great as a chowder base.
Definitely try this one.

Nadja S. December 20, 2019

I used the double amount of ingredients to have leftovers for the next day.... didn't happen, my husband and I ate it all, it was just too good!

Kirsten M. December 12, 2017

As hard as I tried, I cannot say anything nice about this soup. It is about as boring and tasty as old socks cooked for a day. Sorry folks, someone has to be honest here.
And as for many posters here, if you substitute about half of the ingredients, then this is not the same soup!

Rick November 5, 2017

This is a wonderful recipe. I've made it several times over the last couple of years. Potato soup is always delicious but kind of boring. This soup is delicious and definitely not boring. It's wonderful.The ingredients throw a curvball right into your tastebuds! Make it!

Mae March 15, 2017

I've made this soup a few times over the last few months - it is one of the best soups I've ever made! I veganize it by using vegetable broth. To replace the bulk content of the ham, I have used a big handful of greens, and most recently a cup of chopped celery. So good! I think the greens version is my favorite :)

MiaChae November 2, 2016

I just made this soup tonight because my son requested potato soup and we don't do dairy. I was a little skeptical because my husband doesn't like nuts in his food and my boys who are 9 and 12 have pretty diverse palettes but again they are 9 and 12. After reading the comments, I decided to give it a try and it was a huge hit! I made a double batch and my 9 year old (who requested the soup) had 4 bowls! Later tonight, my old son warmed up another bowl, they both requested it for their school lunch tomorrow AND my husband loved it despite the nuts. the only mods I made was adding a bit of onion and I had to use red wine vinegar instead of sherry (I live in Italy and running to the store to get sherry vinegar is not so easy). I think it would be a great starter for a dinner party. Next time I will try with the smoked paprika. This is definitely a keeper!