Potato Bacon Poblano Soup

Start by giving the Poblanos a good rinse. Then roast them in the oven at 400F for 30 minutes or until you need them.

Chop up 6-7 slices of bacon into smaller pieces. If it's difficult to chop up the bacon then put it in the freezer for a few minutes to solidify it. Cook the bacon in your soup pot over medium-high heat, stirring regularly. When the bacon is cooked remove it from the pan but you can leave the bacon drippings in the pot.

Finely chop a small onion and cook it in the bacon drippings until its just starting to brown, usually around 5-7 minutes. I usually lower the heat to medium after cooking the bacon.

As the onion cooks you'll have time to mince 4 garlic cloves and cube the potatoes. Note: you can either blend this entire soup or leave it chunky and just blend a portion of it. If you want to blend only a portion of it then consider cutting the potatoes into smaller cubes.

When the onion is starting to brown add the 4 minced garlic cloves and cook briefly, 30-60 seconds. Then add 3 tablespoons of flour. Combine well and cook for a minute or so, stirring regularly.

Add the remaining ingredients to the saucepan: the cubed potatoes, 4 cups of stock, 1.5 teaspoons of salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes or so. Note: if using store-bought stock you may not need to add as much salt as I did.

Just before blending the soup you can pull the roasted Poblanos from the oven, de-stemming and de-seeding them. If there are puffy bits of skin you can pull off and discard those, but don't worry about getting rid of every last bit.

Once the potatoes are cooked (about 15 minutes for this batch) you can add the mixture to a blender along with the de-seeded Poblanos, the cooked bacon, and a handful of cheese (optional). I added a handful of Queso Fresco to this batch. Combine well and take a taste for salt.

Note: consider adding the Poblanos incrementally if it's your first time making this soup. I like it best when the Poblano flavor is subtle, so I only added 2 of the Poblanos at first. After combining and taste testing I added another half Poblano, combined, and was happy with the flavor.

Pour the soup back into the saucepan. Bring it up to temp over medium heat and serve it up!

Top with your choice of garnishes. I topped with cooked bacon bits, Queso Fresco, freshly chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Other good options include Crema, hot sauce, or pickled veggies.

Store leftover soup in the fridge where it will keep for a few days. To re-heat, simply add it to a saucepan and cook over medium heat.