Simple Potato Soup

As most nights go, I couldn’t quite think of what to make for dinner; standing in the middle of the grocery store while carts rolled passed somehow didn’t help either. I was drawing a blank in the midst of the produce section, and while others stockpiled their baskets with last-minute Halloween candy, I was looking for a healthier alternative. The usual pasta and salad floated around my periphery, but I was bored with the idea and pushed it to the back. I had made chili a week or so prior and still hadn’t finished the leftovers—there’s only so many nights in a row I can eat chili. And the standard meat-and-potatoes hasn’t been an option for about three years now. Well, at least the meat part anyway.

There’s a soup my mom has made since I was a kid. Strangely enough, it only ever seemed to appear when either me or my brother, Dane, were sick. I’m not sure how this tradition started—maybe it was the mildly bland yet filling comfort of this soup combined with the fact that it’s a cinch to make after taking care of a sick child all day—but the tradition was pretty set in stone. I can’t really recall a time it was ever made when we were all healthy and hungry.

So maybe I’d give just the potatoes a try. I asked Kelly to grab some russets only to watch as he hauled a ten pound bag my way, mentally refiguring the batch size. They were cheaper apparently, and I couldn’t help but cater to his frugality. And I’m still a college student, after all; it wouldn’t hurt to have some leftovers to alternate with the chili.

I kept the ingredients list pretty simple: potato, carrot, and celery, with salt and pepper to taste. I honestly wasn’t in the mood to develop some sort of high-brow version of this homey dish, and I’ve never been very good with spices. I peeled most of the potatoes, left the skin on some due to personal preference, and set them to boiling. The rest of the process went fairly quickly and easily, and I even had time while the soup was finishing up simmering to make a batch of my famous pumpkin spice cupcakes.

The cupcakes failed miserably when I accidentally added one too many eggs, but the soup turned out just as I remembered. Although it was probably blander than what most would prefer, the simplicity of the tastes hit my taste buds just right. Sure enough, this soup for the sick was just as good when healthy, and it warmed me up as the night cooled down.

Surprisingly, only enough for a measly second helping was left over, and I snagged it for my lunch the next day before my roommates could get to it. Although my plan for chili alternations was squashed, the ten pound bag was still almost completely full, leaving me with a craving for a couple more batches. And who knows? Maybe this dish is destined for a winter night go-to, instead of just for when I'm feeling a bit under the weather.