Your Potato Choice May Be Ruining Your Potato Soup

Even the most straightforward dish can fall apart if you don't incorporate the proper ingredients. Take it from the experts: We spoke with Suresh Sundas, chef at the highly rated Indian restaurant Daru in Washington D.C., about the best potatoes to use for creamy potato soup. Speaking exclusively with Mashed, Sundas shares, "For potatoes, I always prefer Yukon Gold — they're creamy, buttery, and hold their texture well, making the soup velvety and satisfying." This all-purpose, multifaceted potato paves the way for a tasty dish.

Yukon Gold potatoes work well in creamy, thick soups. You can even skip out on peeling them, as Yukon Golds have smooth, thin skin that's easy to wash and melts right into the soup, leaving behind a rustic flavor and extra nutrients like antioxidants.  After chopping your potatoes into quarters and boiling them, you can use a handheld immersion blender (like this Multi-Speed Immersion Hand Blender from Amazon Basics) to conveniently blend the potatoes into your stock once they're fork-tender. When they reach your desired consistency, reduce the soup to a simmer to avoid over-boiling the potatoes. Alternatively, cube potatoes for a quicker boil, or mash them before blending for a velvety consistency. You can even roast the potatoes before combining them into soup, or opt for a stock base over water for a more robust flavor. As long as you use Yukons, it's hard to ruin a creamy potato soup. The carbohydrates in starchy potatoes like Yukon Golds also work as a great thickening agent, which makes these potatoes a natural resource when cooking up a thick chowder; You don't even have to worry about making a roux.

Not all potatoes are created equal, but Yukon Golds are particularly adaptable. As with potato soup, Yukon Golds work well in traditional mashed potatoes, potato salad, scalloped potatoes, and as potato wedges. Yukon Golds are all-purpose potatoes, meaning they hold their shape well when boiling or frying and can be mashed or blended while maintaining an ideal texture. Russet potatoes, however, are too starchy, resulting in a grainy mess when boiled, and red potatoes are too waxy for creamy potato soups (although they fare well in chunky potato soups). As a versatile potato, Yukon Golds complement rich ingredients like cheese.

As for what kind of cheese to use, Suresh Sundas suggests one type that works particularly well in creamy potato soup. "In my kitchen, the best cheese for potato-cheese soup is Gruyère. It has a nutty, slightly sweet flavor that melts smoothly, blending perfectly with the earthy richness of potatoes," he says. Gruyère's creamy, salty flavor is sure to make one of the most hearty soups around even more comforting. Now that you have creaminess covered, be sure to include aromatics like garlic and caramelized onions, protein like ham or sausage, and vegetables like corn or leeks, which all fit well with Yukon Golds' rich, buttery texture and nutty flavors. Plus, if you like cheese in your potato soup (and who doesn't?) consider crafting this take on O'Charley's loaded potato soup recipe next, which includes the additions of Velveeta and bacon.