Irish Ale Potato Cheddar Soup

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Servings 6

1 lb bacon cooked and chopped
½ onion large, diced
3 celery sticks diced
2 lbs small Yukon gold potatoes peeled or not, diced
4 teaspoons unsalted butter or you can use Irish Salted Butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour sifted and leveled with a knife
2 cups whole milk 2% or heavy cream
½ teaspoon sea salt can omit if using salted butter
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic granules
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 ¾ cup chicken broth
½ bottle Irish beer I used Killian’s Irish Red
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded (Can use Irish cheddar cheese if you can find it)
1 cup Colby jack cheese shredded
Green onions sliced, optional
Croutons optional

Prepare the bacon, drain, and reserve the bacon grease.
Once the bacon is cooked, chop it into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
While the bacon is cooking, wash and dice the celery, onion, and potatoes. Set the potatoes aside.
Use the leftover bacon grease to sate the onions and celery until they are fork-tender. This step will really enhance the flavor of the vegetables.
Next, prepare the roux. In a Dutch oven, melt the butter, then add in the flour. Cook the butter and flour together for 1 minute. Then add the milk slowly. Make sure you are whisking the milk in as you add it. Continue cooking on medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add in the salt, pepper, garlic granules, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chicken broth, celery and onions, and beer. Stir together and let simmer for a few minutes so the suds from the beer can fade.
Next, add in the potatoes. Cook the potatoes until they are fork-tender.
Stir occasionally so that the ingredients don’t stock to the bottom of the Dutch oven.
Once the potatoes are cooked, add in the cheese and simmer until the cheese is melted and blended together.
Ladle up the soup into a bowl and top with the green onions, croutons, more cheese, and bacon.
Serve!

Keyword Irish Ale Potato Cheddar Irish Beer Cheddar Soup Irish Cheese Beer Potato Soup