Ah, potato soup – yes, even including the bacon grease (as opposed to rendered lard) – is my “go to” soup when I need something warm, comforting and delicious for dinner at a moment’s notice. This soup is also a great way to get loads of healthy fats into your friends and family without them even knowing what is happening!
Some of you may gasp about the several ounces of bacon grease included in this recipe. There is a perpetual myth in our culture that bacon is somehow bad for us and that bacon grease is the worst of the worst. On the contrary, bacon grease is a very healthy, traditional fat particularly when it comes from pastured animals that have access to fresh air and sunshine.
Bacon grease is loaded with Vitamin D when the pigs are allowed to run around outside! Considering that 90% of people are vitamin D deficient in the USA alone, need I say more?
The parent of one of the kids in my child’s class told me on a field trip recently that his mother used to drink a small glass of bacon grease every morning with breakfast. He indicated with facial expressions how gross this was to him, but my question back was, “Uh, and how old did she live to be?” The answer was somewhere in the 90’s range (I’ll bet she wasn’t overweight or dropped dead of a heart attack either).
Case closed on the bacon grease!
This soup is so delicious, you won’t believe it and it’s the bacon grease that makes all the difference to the amazing flavor! When a whole food has this much amazing flavor naturally, this means loads of nutrition, so eat up and enjoy!
Potato and Bacon Soup (made using ALL the bacon grease)
makes about 3 quarts of soup
Ingredients
2 quarts homemade chicken stock (where to find)
6 organic, medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes
2 large organic, white onions
3 Tbl grassfed butter (where to find)
8 thick slices pastured bacon, broiled with bacon grease reserved
Sea salt to taste
Instructions
Bring chicken stock to a boil in a large pot. Add sliced potatoes and simmer. Meanwhile, chop onions and saute in butter until caramelized and broil the bacon in a baking dish in the oven until crispy, turning every few minutes as necessary.
Add the caramelized onions to the simmering chicken stock and potatoes. Pour all the bacon grease into the chicken stock mixture once the bacon is done. Once the bacon has cooled (just a few minutes), crumble into small pieces and add to the chicken stock mixture.
Puree with a handheld blender. Add sea salt to taste.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
My favorite soup. I cook it with leeks and add some white pepper to it. Hits the spot every time!
Sarah, have you made this soup with any other type of stock? I am out of chicken but have plenty of beef stock. I’ve used your recipe before with the chicken stock and my whole family loved it! Just wandering if it will be as good with the beef stock. Thank you!!
As an England loving person, I wanted to know how to cook “Bubble and Squeak.” It has to be left over mashed potatoes and onions, but had so little flavor we were disappointed until my English friend said to add some bacon and onion. now it is one of our fabvorites!I still don’t know how it gets its name. I find instant mashed potatoes also works fine for the two of us. I enjoy this site.
I think it meant to say great grandmother or grandmother instead of mother. Lol. But great article, as always.
Hi, we eat bacon alot and have loads of it left over so I put it in jars in the fridge. We started giving it to our dog mixed with his dry dog food. Do you think this is ok to do? I dont think there is any healthy fats in his dry food.
I wanted to say as well that my husband grew up eating lard sandwiches! They would take bread and smear lard on it topped with green onions. I used to think this was so gross until I started learning amout tradition foods.
My German grandfather would eat bacon fat for breakfast every day, slathered on a piece of sourdough bread, with raw bacon on top! At the time I thought this was insane, but now I know better!