Creamy Smoky Beef And Potato (Print Version)
Hearty soup of seared beef, smoky bacon and creamy potatoes simmered with onions and herbs for a comforting meal.
# What You Need:
→ Meats
01 - 14 oz beef chuck or stewing beef, cut into ½-inch cubes
02 - 2 slices smoked bacon, diced
→ Vegetables
03 - 1 lb potatoes, peeled and diced
04 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 2 carrots, diced
07 - 2 celery stalks, diced
→ Dairy
08 - 1 cup heavy cream
09 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
→ Liquids
10 - 4 cups beef broth
11 - ½ cup whole milk
→ Spices & Seasonings
12 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
13 - ½ teaspoon dried thyme
14 - ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
15 - ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
→ Garnish
16 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
17 - Extra black pepper, to taste
# Directions:
01 - In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the diced smoked bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
02 - Add the beef cubes to the bacon fat in batches if needed. Sear until deeply browned on all sides, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove and set aside with the cooked bacon.
03 - Melt the butter in the same pot. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery. Sauté until the vegetables are softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
04 - Stir in the diced potatoes, smoked paprika, dried thyme, salt, and black pepper. Cook together for 2 minutes to bloom the spices.
05 - Return the seared beef and crispy bacon to the pot. Pour in the beef broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 25 minutes until the beef and potatoes are fork-tender.
06 - Stir in the heavy cream and whole milk. Simmer uncovered for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the soup is creamy and slightly thickened.
07 - Taste the soup and adjust the salt and pepper as needed to your preference.
08 - Ladle the hot soup into bowls and garnish each serving with chopped fresh parsley and an extra pinch of black pepper.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The smokiness from the bacon and paprika layers so deeply into the broth that every spoonful feels like it was cooked over a campfire.
- It is genuinely filling enough to be a full dinner with nothing more than some crusty bread beside it.
02 -
- If you add the cream while the pot is at a full boil it may break and look grainy, so always reduce the heat to a gentle simmer first.
- Mashing a handful of the potatoes right in the pot before the cream goes in gives you a thicker body without any flour or cornstarch.
03 -
- Pat the beef completely dry with paper towels before searing because moisture is the enemy of a good crust and that crust is where the deepest flavor lives.
- Let the soup rest off the heat for ten minutes before serving because the texture settles into something noticeably creamier and more cohesive.