Rosemary and Thyme Potato Soup ~ In The Crock-Pot

 An alternative name for this soup would be "my busy day soup" ~ this soup can be assembled anytime from 5-10 hours before you want to eat. As long as there are potatoes in the house, this soup is perfect for days when you know that you will be occupied during the afternoon and you don't want to fuss with dinner.

I've been making potato soup in the crock-pot for years now and it always turns out well. Depending on my mood, I serve it with plenty of toppings or with nothing else at all. It works well as a meal on it's own and it's also great with crusty chunks of bread for dipping and a salad on the side.

Rosemary and Thyme Potato Soup ~ In The Crock-Pot

3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into 3/4"-1" pieces, about 7-8 cups worth
1 small yellow onion, diced small
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 - 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, adjust to taste
1 teaspoon crushed thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground rosemary*
6 cups chicken stock (or 6 cups water, plus 2 tablespoons chicken base)
1/4 cup flour, I use brown rice flour for this
1 cup half and half or heavy cream
Optional toppings: cheese, crumbled bacon, chives, green onions, parsley

Turn the crock-pot onto HIGH or LOW and place the potatoes, onion, garlic, spices and chicken stock in the pot. Stir to combine and cover with a lid. On HIGH, it should take between 3-4 hours for the potatoes to soften, on LOW, it should take from 8-10 hours.

When the potatoes are just barely soft enough to slide off of a fork, scoop out about 1/2 cup of the broth and set aside. Mash the cooked potatoes gently, just to break up the bigger pieces and slightly thicken the soup. Whisk 1/4 cup of flour into the reserved broth until it is smooth. Stir in 1 cup of half and half (or heavy cream, if you have it) and whisk again for a moment until it is smooth again. Pour this into the crock-pot and reduce the heat to LOW. Let it cook at least an hour, stirring once or twice.

I've also let this soup cook up to an additional 2 hours (provided it is on LOW after adding the cream) and then unplugged the crockpot and uncovered it and waited as much as another hour to serve it. This is a very flexible soup and it holds quite well until you are ready to serve it.

When the soup has thickened and is warm throughout it is ready. If desired, serve with the toppings of your choice. Enjoy!

*ground rosemary is important in this recipe, because the larger dried rosemary pieces will not soften in the soup. You won't want big pieces of rosemary in each spoonful of creamy soup.

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