By January. I'm doing something I should have done years ago: I'm going to hire a bookkeeper. The business has outgrown my ability (and Danielle's patience) to manage the finances with a spreadsheet and a prayer. Four employees means payroll. Multiple jobs means invoicing. Growth means taxes that are more complicated than "I made money, here's a percentage." Danielle found a woman named Gloria who runs a bookkeeping service from her house in Zachary, and Gloria took one look at my spreadsheet and said, "Oh, sweetie," in a tone that made me feel like a child who'd been doing long division wrong for a decade. Which I may have been.
Made a beef and potato soup — simple, hearty, January. Ground beef browned with onion and garlic, potatoes cubed, beef broth, a can of diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce. It's a soup that requires no skill and delivers maximum comfort, and in January, maximum comfort is the only metric that matters. Rémy ate — I don't need to tell you how much Rémy ate. You know. The boy is a soup machine.
Gloria’s “Oh, sweetie” was still ringing in my ears when I got home, and the only reasonable response to that kind of humbling was to make something warm, filling, and completely unfussy. This Caribbean potato soup hit every note I needed — bold flavor from simple pantry staples, a broth that fills the kitchen with something that smells like you know what you’re doing (even when the bookkeeper has evidence to the contrary), and enough to keep Rémy going back for thirds without complaint.
Caribbean Potato Soup
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups)
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Fresh parsley or green onion for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Brown the beef. Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart, until no longer pink, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed.
- Sauté aromatics. Add the diced onion to the pot and cook with the beef for 3–4 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Build the broth. Add the beef broth, diced tomatoes with their juices, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Season and add potatoes. Stir in the allspice, thyme, smoked paprika, and cayenne. Add the cubed potatoes and bring the soup to a boil.
- Simmer until tender. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20–25 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender and the broth has thickened slightly.
- Add corn and finish. Stir in the frozen corn and cook for an additional 3–4 minutes. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and cayenne as needed.
- Serve. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley or sliced green onion if desired. Serve with crusty bread.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 320 | Protein: 20g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 620mg