Alton Brown's Potato Soup

Alton Brown's Potato Soup Alton Brown: Ma’am I am sorry to bother you but my truck broke down just up here… Frances Anderson: You are not Alton Brown host of Good Eats? Alton Brown: Well actually I…Get that a lot, but it is a mistake. I’ve never even heard of Good-that guy. Frances Anderson: You are pulling my leg. I know who you are. I am Frances Anderson and I am your biggest fan. Bart, my boyfriend, he loves your potato recipes, probably because he is potato farmer. Alton Brown: Really? That is exciting. Nasty piece of night out, do not you think? Frances Anderson: Yeah! You know I had wished you come up with more potato dishes though. He’s getting pretty bored and you know what they say, the quickest to a way man’s heart… Alton Brown: To his stomach. Wow! That is quite a grip you have here. You know I tell you what, if you let me come in and use your phone to call a tow track we will talk spuds of plenty until he gets here. Frances Anderson: Why you do come on in, you are going to catch in death. I just rescued Mr. Good Eats. Dad, listen. I have got Alton Brown here, the Good eats guy, but his track just broke down up the road and he just knocked on my door. No! No! No! Do not come tonight. Come by and tow it tomorrow in the morning. Alton Brown: So, can he make it out tonight? Frances Anderson: Nope, one of his heifers is caving, you know how that is. So I guess you will have to stay the night. The nearest hotel is 15 miles, besides it will give us time. Alton Brown: To??? Frances Anderson: To cook silly. Alton Brown: Okay, hey! Where did you get this stuff? Frances Anderson: Oh your prop guys have this fabulous website. Alton Brown: Oh they do, do they? Wow some spuds you got lady. Frances Anderson: I even poked holes on them and roll them in oil and salt, just like in the show. Alton Brown: Yes! Are these all just for you and Bart? Frances Anderson: Actually just Bart. Alton Brown: Really? Well you know you could convert this into cornucopia of Good Eats. Well like a soup for instance. Frances Anderson: Bart loves soup. Alton Brown: Yes, well the key is that we have got to break the meat down as much as possible while damaging as few of the starch granules as possible. Well otherwise, you will turn it into a library paste, which definitely is not Good Eats. Yes, perfect. Okay I am going to get my case. Here is your shinny new ricer. Frances Anderson: What is a ricer? What is ricer had to do with potatoes? Alton Brown: Open that plunger thing there. Great, see those dice in there, those dice, take one and take those out. Anything that gets run through this thing runs through these and they all come out looking like rice. Here, use the small one for potatoes, just drop it right back down, put the cover back in. You have to twist it. There you go. Okay grab your potato, get ready to put it in. Cut side first. There you go. Got a work bowl? Frances Anderson: You got it. Alton Brown: Good! Good! And squeeze. Your world will never be the same again. Okay the shop for some soft wares. Shall we? Frances Anderson: And you got it. Alton Brown: Butter, great butter, leeks, fresh leeks or-. Okay, hey is this a chicken stock? Frances Anderson: Of course. Alton Brown: Home made? Frances Anderson: Of course. Bart’s brother Brad is a chicken farmer. Alton Brown: Oh that is nice. Buttermilk, sour cream, excellent. And parmesan cheese, you have chives just by chance? Oh let me guess Bart’s brother had it. And some garlic? Frances Anderson: Oh! I never keep garlic in the refrigerator, in a drawer. Alton Brown: You know I can’t help but notice that you’ve got a lot a left over containers in here labeled with a Good Eats titles. Frances Anderson: Butter is melted. Alton Brown: Okay you say, you have watched a few Good Eats episodes, what is next? Frances Anderson: Well the leeks and garlic are aromatic, so I’ll cook them in butter over medium heat. Alton Brown: And what else would we add to that? Frances Anderson: Kosher salt. Alton Brown: Why? Frances Anderson: To draw out the flavor and aroma? Alton Brown: Actually the moisture. It helps them to soften. Always add salt to a, what you call this? Frances Anderson: Sweating. Alton Brown: You have been paying attention. Frances Anderson: It is soft. I almost got out beat on that. Alton Brown: Okay what goes next? Frances Anderson: Well I would want to add potatoes because they will absorb the butter and burn. And I would not to add the sour cream because I do not want to cook the sour cream and the butter milk would curdle. Chicken stock! Alton Brown: You are right. Six cups and raise your heat and bring that to a simmer. Okay, then we got a liquid base to add the other ingredients. Frances Anderson: Great! It is simmering. Alton Brown: I have got one just like this. Frances Anderson: Not anymore. Alton Brown: All right so what is next? Frances Anderson: Well we add the rest of the ingredients. Sure. Alton Brown: We could, but you know if we just dump the buttermilk in there, there’s still a chance, because of it is acidity and heat in there it is still could curdle. And of course we drop the sour cream right in there it just going to float around like big blob of fat that it really is. As for potatoes, no, I’ll tell you this way. Why we do not just, do you have a whisk? If we were to take the buttermilk and pour it into the potatoes, the starch of the potatoes might help prevent the buttermilk from curdling right? And then of course these stuffs pretty chunky, so why if we just put all that right in there, okay. And while we are adding it, we might as well put in the parmesan cheese right? There you go. Okay with all that together just beat that into a paste, like that. That is also going to help to break up the potatoes a little bit more right? That is kind of like an emulsion like a salad dressing. Now, just help me get that in there. There, that is pretty much it. Bring it back to a simmer. Frances Anderson: Great! Then we puree it? Alton Brown: Why would we puree it? Frances Anderson: Why not? Alton Brown: Okay, well if you stick a blender in there or pour it on a food processor or whatever, it just going to beat up more those starch granules we are going to talk about. And that is okay for right when we serve it, but it is going to start getting gluey and start setting apart, right there on the table. And you can forget about left overs, it will be like rocket balls. These way they still be some two some this. You buy it down, you got a nice little buy to potato and you know Bart is going to like that because… Frances Anderson: Bart is potato farmer.