Potato Bisque

I've made potato soup many, many times but this recipe from our family cookbook was a new one for me! It was a big hit with the kids.

Potato Bisque
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped, include some tops
2 Tb. butter or margarine
2 med. red or white thin-skinned potatoes, peeled and cubed small
2 Tb. chopped parsley
1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth or 1 3/4 cups water and 2 bouillon cubes
2 cups milk
1 1/2 Tb. cornstarch mixed with 3 Tb. water
Salt and pepper
Butter or margarine
Chopped parsley or other garnishes

In a 3-quart pan over medium heat, cook onion and celery in butter until onion is soft.  Add potatoes, parsley, and broth.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes). Stir in milk and cook, covered, until soup is hot but not boiling.  Stir cornstarch mixture and add to soup. Cook, stirring, until soup bubbles and thickens slightly (about 5 minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve hot. Garnish servings with butter and parsley. Makes about 6 cups.

Tiffany's Notes:  As I was making this soup I added extra potatoes.  Then I worried about there being enough liquids so I decided to double the rest of the ingredients (double the water, bouillon, 3 cups milk, extra cornstarch, etc.).  It worked out just fine.  Like many soup recipes you can adjust it slightly as needed or to taste.

For reference--to that I added about a teaspoon of salt and about a 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.  I used green onions and bacon bits for a garnish.

Also, I cooked the potatoes to a firm tender before adding the milk, etc.  By the time it had simmered some more the potatoes were tender.