Creamy potato soup with crispy bacon, marjoram & toasted bread

A warming soup for chilly autumn evenings and a New Zealand wine with a creamy texture

A New Zealand wine turns potato soup into a main course for chilly evenings. Floury potatoes are boiled until tender with onion, carrot and celery, then mashed and seasoned with cream, nutmeg and marjoram until the soup is velvety and creamy. On top are crispy fried bacon bits and golden-brown croutons with garlic, which add a bit of bite and hearty toasted flavours to the dish. The recipe is quick to prepare, easy even for beginners, and requires just a few simple ingredients. It’s perfect for an evening meal, for guests or for the first frost. A barrel-aged white wine with a creamy texture and fresh acidity transforms this simple soup into a well-rounded meal that leaves a lasting impression and is very satisfying.

Ideal wine pairing: Elephant Hill Reserve Chardonnay (Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand)

Aromas of yellow stone fruit, peach and nectarine rise to the nose, accompanied by hazelnut, vanilla, subtle spicy notes from the oak and a hint of fig and citrus. On the palate, the wine is creamy and full-bodied, with subtle minerality and a long finish. Around 80 per cent of the grapes come from the coastal Te Awanga vineyard in Hawke’s Bay. The wine was aged for 12 months in small French barriques, around 26 per cent of which were new, using wild yeast, whole-bunch pressing and ageing on the fine lees. With 13.5 per cent alcohol and 0.9 grams of residual sugar, it is dry, whilst the acidity of 7.0 grams keeps it fresh. This pairs well with potato soup, as the wine’s creamy texture mirrors the velvety soup, the acidity cuts through the cream and bacon, and the toasty notes from the barrel complement the bacon and toasted bread. The marjoram complements the spicy notes in the glass. Bob Campbell MW awarded the wine 95 points, whilst Cameron Douglas MS gave it 93 points. Serve it at 8 to 10 degrees.

The recipe:

Creamy potato soup with crispy bacon, marjoram & toasted bread

This creamy potato soup is a simple and comforting dish for autumn. Floury potatoes are simmered in stock with onion, carrot and celery until tender, then finely puréed and seasoned with cream, nutmeg and fresh marjoram. Crispy fried bacon bits and golden-brown croutons with garlic add a bit of bite and hearty, toasty flavours. The recipe serves two, is easy enough for beginners to master, and pairs well with a creamy white wine with fresh acidity. The soup can easily be made in advance and tastes even better reheated the next day; it’s best to prepare the topping fresh so that the bacon and croutons stay crispy.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Cuisine European, German

Servings 2 people

Calories 620 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Medium-sized pot
• 1 Hand blender
• 1 frying pan
• 1 cutting board
• 1 A sharp kitchen knife
• 1 Potato peeler

Ingredients

  

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FOR THE SOUP:

• 500 g floury potatoes
• 1 Onion
• 1 carrot
• 50 g Celeriac
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 50 ml dry white wine
• 500 ml vegetable broth
• 1 Bay leaf
• 100 ml cream
• 2 1 tsp fresh marjoram
• 1 A pinch of nutmeg
• Salt Pepper

FOR THE TOPPING:

• 80 g Diced bacon
• 2 Slices of country bread
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 A tablespoon of chopped chives

FOR SERVING:

• A few marjoram leaves
• Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

 

PREPARATION:

• Peel the potatoes (500 g), the carrot (1) and the celery (50 g), then dice them into small cubes.
• Finely dice the onion (1) and a clove of garlic.
• Cut the country bread (2 slices) into cubes.
• Crush the second clove of garlic for the toasted bread.
• Chop the marjoram (2 tsp) and chives (1 tbsp).

COOKING STEPS:

• Heat the butter (1 tbsp) in a saucepan and gently fry the onion, carrot and celery for 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic and potatoes and fry for 2 minutes.
• Deglaze with white wine (50 ml) and allow it to reduce almost completely.
• Pour in the vegetable stock (500 ml), add the bay leaf (1) and simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
• Remove the bay leaf and purée the soup until smooth using a hand blender.
• Stir in the cream (100 ml) and marjoram, season to taste with nutmeg, salt and pepper, and keep warm over a low heat.
• Fry the diced bacon (80 g) in a frying pan without any fat for 6 minutes until crispy, then drain on kitchen paper.
• Add the butter (1 tbsp) to the pan with the bacon and fry the bread cubes with the crushed garlic clove for 4 minutes until golden brown.
• Mix the toasted bread with the chives (1 tbsp).

SERVE:

• Ladle the soup into pre-warmed deep plates.
• Add the diced bacon and toasted bread to the soup.
• Sprinkle with marjoram leaves.
• Finish with some freshly ground pepper.
• Serve immediately.

SIDE DISHES:

• Lamb’s lettuce with mustard vinaigrette
• Fried mushrooms with parsley
• Mountain cheese with pear slices

Nutrition

Calories: 620kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 17gFat: 37g

Keyword Chardonnay, Creamy potato soup, Fall Recipe, Marjoram, October recipe, Potato soup, Potato soup with bacon, Toasted bread, Wine from New Zealand, Wine to go with potato soup

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