Slow Cooked Loaded Potato Soup

End of February in Milwaukee. The kind of cold that makes you question every life choice that led to living here. I walked to the Jeep this morning and the wind off the lake hit me so hard I said a word I cannot print. The Wrangler started on the third try, which is better than last week's fifth try. I should probably get that looked at. I will not get that looked at.

Lakefront is in that late-winter lull where taproom traffic slows down and we use the time to experiment. I've been working on a doppelbock — heavier, darker, the kind of beer you drink when it's twelve degrees and you need something that feels like a blanket. The head brewer gave me room to run with it, which is either a compliment or he's just tired and doesn't want to deal with the recipe. Either way, I'll take it.

Cooked for Tom and Linda on Sunday. Made Babcia's bigos — the hunter's stew with sauerkraut, kielbasa, pork shoulder, dried mushrooms. It takes hours. The apartment smells like a Polish grandmother's kitchen for two days afterward, which the neighbors either love or tolerate because they're Midwestern and too polite to complain. Tom had three bowls. Linda had one and asked for the recipe, which she's asked for approximately thirty times and never written down.

I've been thinking about Danny a lot this week. March 8th is coming up — eight years since he died. Every year I think it'll get easier. It doesn't get easier. It just gets different. The sharp edge rounds off but the weight stays. I'll go to Holy Cross on Monday. I'll sit with him for a while. I'll probably tell him about the doppelbock because Danny would have thought it was cool that I make beer for a living. He would have been twenty-four this year. I try not to think about what he'd be doing. I always think about what he'd be doing.

The pierogi game is strong this month. I made a batch of sauerkraut and mushroom last weekend that was honestly the best I've ever done. The ratio was right, the dough was thin enough, the filling had that tang that Babcia's had. I called Linda and told her and she said, "Don't get cocky." Kowalski family encouragement at its finest.

Bigos takes hours and it rewards you for the patience—but on a week when March 8th is circled on the calendar and the Jeep won’t start right and the cold is personal, sometimes you need something that just runs in the background while you go about the business of getting through the day. This slow cooked loaded potato soup is that for me. It’s not Babcia’s recipe, but it carries the same logic: start it before you leave, come home to something ready, eat something warm, feel less like the wind off the lake won.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 7 hours | Total Time: 7 hours 20 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 3/4-inch cubes
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
4 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 green onions, thinly sliced

Instructions

Load the slow cooker. Add the diced potatoes, onion, garlic, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika to a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir to combine.
Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 6–7 hours, or on HIGH for 3–4 hours, until the potatoes are completely tender and beginning to break down at the edges.
Mash for body. Use a potato masher or the back of a large spoon to mash roughly half the potatoes directly in the slow cooker. You want a thick, chunky consistency—not fully smooth, not fully chunky.
Add the dairy. Stir in the cream cheese cubes and sour cream. Replace the lid and cook on HIGH for another 15–20 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the cream cheese is fully melted and incorporated.
Stir in the cheese. Add 1 cup of the shredded cheddar and stir until melted. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
Serve loaded. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with the remaining cheddar, crumbled bacon, and sliced green onions. Add an extra dollop of sour cream if you need it. You probably need it.

Nutrition (per serving)

Slow Cooked Loaded Potato Soup — The Kind of Warmth You Come Home To