In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until lightly browned. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel and set aside, but keep the bacon grease inside the pot.
Add 2 TBS butter, onion, celery, (and optional carrots) minced garlic, and potatoes to the Dutch oven with the reserved bacon grease. Cook on medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and vegetables are slightly soft.
Add the broth, salt, pepper, and paprika and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil with the lid slightly ajar for 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft (this will depend on how large you cut your potatoes. Smaller diced potatoes will cook faster).
Carefully ladle about half of the soup into the container of a high-powered blender, then add the heavy cream, ¼ cup of the cooked bacon, flour and sour cream to the blender.
Blend, starting on low speed an increasing to high until the mixture is smooth.
Return the blended mixture to the Dutch oven and cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until the soup is thickened.
Serve topped with remaining cooked bacon, cheese, chives, etc.
Video
Notes
Optional Carrots: Add 2 large carrots, dice them and cook them with the potatoes/veggies. The only note is that the soup will have an orangeish tint because you will be blending carrots in with the potatoes when you blend half of the soup mixture. But I love the flavor the carrots add to this soup!Ingredient Substitutions
Bacon. Choose your favorite variety, I don't suggest omitting the bacon.
Salted Butter. Unsalted butter is a great choice.
Yellow Onion. Red or white onion also works well in this recipe.
Minced Garlic. Freshly minced or jarred are both great choices.
Yukon Gold Potatoes. I love the silky smooth, buttery flavor of Yukon gold potatoes. If desired you can use red potatoes.
Chicken Broth. Vegetable broth can be used in place of chicken broth.
Heavy Cream. Half and half or whole milk both work well, I don't recommend substitutions with lower fat content.
Sour Cream. full-fat, plain Greek yogurt works well!
All-purpose Flour. to make this recipe gluten-free, use all-purpose gluten-free flour.
StoreStore leftover potato soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.FreezeOr, you can freeze this potato soup recipe for up to 2 months. I recommend freezing it in individual portions for easy reheating.These silicon cubes are a great way to freeze soup in 1-cup portions. You can also use small glass storage containers.Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.