Just Potatoes and an Onion! The Soup My Mother Made Every Cold Night

Six potatoes, one onion and two cups of milk make a pot of soup that hangs on the spoon slow as cold sorghum, with not a drop of cream, cheese, bacon or carton broth in it. My Mama made it in an eastern Kentucky holler on the coldest nights, and at the end of the month when potatoes and one onion were about all that was left in the cellar. If yours has ever come out thin as dishwater or full of little flour lumps, it isn't you, honey; it's two old moves nobody ever showed you, and neither one costs a penny. That old trick of dropping a raw potato into an oversalted pot doesn't pull the salt out either, because it only soaks up broth as salty as the rest. The whole pot feeds six, halves clean for one or two, and sets up thick as pudding by tomorrow. The free Pantry List is in that same pinned comment, so you can see what's on your own shelf before you spend a dime. THE RECIPES MAMA'S POTATO SOUP (serves 6) Ingredients: - 6 medium potatoes (about the size of your fist) - 1 large onion - 4 tablespoons butter - 4 cups water - 2 cups cold whole milk - 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour - 1 1/2 teaspoons salt - 1 teaspoon black pepper, plus a few more turns Steps: 1. Cut away any green patches and sprouts. Throw out any potato that is green all the way through. 2. Peel and cut into 3/4-inch cubes, all the same size. Hold them in a bowl of cold water so they don't turn gray. 3. Chop the onion. In a heavy pot or cast-iron Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat until it foams. 4. Add the onion and stir for 8 minutes until soft and clear, not brown. If the edges color, turn the heat down a notch. 5. Drain the potatoes and add them with the 4 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high, then lower to a steady simmer for 15 minutes, until a fork slides in and a cube breaks against the side of the pot. 6. Mash about half the potatoes right in the pot and leave the other half whole. Stop when the broth is cloudy and you can still count plenty of cubes. 7. In a 4-cup measuring cup, whisk the cold milk and flour until smooth, with no streaks or specks. Pour it in slowly, stirring the whole time. 8. Keep at a gentle simmer for 5 minutes, stirring, with only little bubbles at the edge. Don't let it boil hard. If it scorches, don't scrape; pour the good soup off the top into a clean pot. 9. Stir in the salt and taste. Add the pepper, then a few more turns. 10. Serve plain with cornbread, or with a few crackers crumbled in the bowl. Leftovers: Cover and refrigerate within 2 hours, and eat within 3 to 4 days. Warm over low heat with a splash of milk, stirring, until bubbling and steaming hot all through. Don't let it boil hard. HALF POT FOR ONE OR TWO Ingredients: - 3 medium potatoes - 1/2 large onion - 2 tablespoons butter - 2 cups water - 1 cup cold whole milk - 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour - Salt, halved last and tasted at the end - Black pepper Steps: 1. Follow the full recipe in a smaller saucepan, using the same heat and the same times. 2. Halve the salt last and taste at the end, because a small pot cooks down differently. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:51 Who Is Mamaw June 1:20 Where to Find the Book 1:44 Choosing the Potatoes 2:39 Peeling and Cutting Evenly 3:37 Sweating the Onion 4:22 Cooking the Onion Slowly 5:16 Simmering the Potatoes 5:38 Counting the Cost 7:02 Mashing for Thickness 8:12 Mixing Flour Into Milk 10:26 Seasoning With Salt and Pepper 12:29 Serving and Storing Leftovers