Irish Potato Soup

Creamy soup in a bowl with cheese and toppings.

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I brought the cozy flavors of Dublin, Ireland back to my New England kitchen with this silky Irish Potato Soup. It's a simple, creamy, from-scratch soup that warms us up on chilly days.

Prep Time37

Cook Time35

Total Time1 12

Course: Appetizer, Comfort Food, Lunch, Soup

Cuisine: American, Irish

Servings: servings

Calories: 195kcal

Author: Nancy Mock

Ingredients

3 pounds Russet potatoes
3 small yellow onions (about 12 ounces)
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
7 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2½ teaspoons salt, divided
1¼ teaspoons ground sage, divided
1 cup half and half
optional diced chives or scallions, shredded Cheddar cheese, crumbled, cooked bacon, toasted bread crumbs

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the potatoes and veggies:

Have a large bowl of cold water ready for the cut potatoes. Wash and peel the 3 pounds Russet potatoes, and then slice them into 1½-inch chunks. Place the potato chunks into the cold water as you slice them, to keep them from discoloring.
Peel the 3 small yellow onions, and then dice them finely. (A fine dice here ensures a quick sauté later.) Once the onions are done, press down on the 3 cloves garlic with the flat side of your knife and then slip off the skins. Finely dice the garlic.

Cook the onions and garlic:

Heat the 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large stockpot placed over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the diced onions and garlic. Stir and sauté the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes, until the onions have softened and are looking translucent. Remove the pan from the heat.

Put everything in the pot:

Add the 7 cups chicken or vegetable stock to the stockpot with the onions and garlic. Drain the potatoes and add them to the pot as well. Stir in 2 teaspoons of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the sage.
Bring the the contents to a boil, and then reduce the heat a bit to keep the soup at a simmer. Continue simmering the contents until the potatoes are very soft, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
While the soup cooks, warm up the 1 cup half and half in microwave (in short bursts) or in a small saucepan, to just beyond lukewarm. Heating it up will prevent the cream from curdling when you add it to the hot soup.

Purée:

Purée the soup using a stick immersion blender until the soup is very smooth. You can also purée the soup in batches in a blender—leave the small, clear cap off the top and cover the hole with a clean dishcloth so that steam can escape. Be very careful not to burn yourself!

Add the cream:

Once the soup is puréed return the pot to the burner and turn the heat to medium. Add in the warm half-and-half along with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt (taste your soup before you add this salt—depending on your stock it may be salty enough for your taste) and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of sage.
Stir the soup over medium heat for about 5 more minutes and then it is ready to serve.

Serve:

Enjoy the Potato Soup as it is, with a slice of buttered Brown Bread on the side! Or, add some toppings like optional diced chives or scallions, shredded Cheddar cheese, crumbled, cooked bacon, toasted bread crumbs like chives, scallions, Cheddar cheese, toasted breadcrumbs, or crumbled bacon.
Makes about 12 cups of soup.
Keep leftover soup covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days.

Notes

Notes:

This soup is delicious made with either chicken or vegetable stock, giving you the option of making this soup vegetarian if you would prefer!

Nutrition