Can Different Potato Varieties Be Used for Loaded Baked Potato Chowder?

[babywings76]

Have you made this with other potato varieties? Just wondering, because DH did my grocery shopping for me and said they didn't have the large baking potatoes. He bought another kind. Any tips for substituting?

 

[SpiritdancerIA]

Have you made this with other potato varieties? Just wondering, because DH did my grocery shopping for me and said they didn't have the large baking potatoes. He bought another kind. Any tips for substituting?

I didn't try to find the giant potatoes the recipe calls for (I mean, 3 potatoes to make 2 1/2 pounds?). I simply used 2 1/2 pounds of the baking potatoes I had on hand, scrubbed and split each of them in half lengthwise, and fitted them into the DCB in more or less a single layer. It worked well, tasted great, and my kids and husband loved it (Hubby generally doesn't eat potato soup).

 

[scavallero]

I used red potatoes cut in quarters and cut the time by a few minutes, I also added a small chopped onion and garlic, and chopped up some cooked bacon. The next time I added corn and red pepper flakes. It was kind of plain when I followed the recipe, much better flavor after the additional ingredients. Yummy!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I just used 1/2 of a 5 lb bag of russet potatoes.

I washed and quartered them and threw them in, didn't try to line them up or anything. They didn't take as long to cook.

Next time, I would probably peel the potatoes. When I mashed them, all of the skins came off, and I didn't care for large hunks of floating potato peel in my soup. I ended up picking most of it out before my guests got here. I also added a clove of crushed garlic to the soup. I can't imagine soup w/o garlic!

 

[ChefGwendolyn]

I used red potatoes cut in quarters and cut the time by a few minutes, I also added a small chopped onion and garlic, and chopped up some cooked bacon. The next time I added corn and red pepper flakes. It was kind of plain when I followed the recipe, much better flavor after the additional ingredients. Yummy!

It's so funny that you say this because I also used the red potatoes, added corn and also some left over cooked chicken breasts that I cubed up. Can you say delish? It was wonderful! Also, if you want it creamier add the full 8 oz of cream cheese!

 

[Lisa/ChefBear]

I wondered about making it with Sweet Potatoes or a mixture?? Does that sound gross?? I was thinking it might make it healthier, lol. but then throw in the cream cheese and cheese and you've killed the good for you factor.

Lisa

 

[SpiritdancerIA]

I wondered about making it with Sweet Potatoes or a mixture?? Does that sound gross?? I was thinking it might make it healthier, lol. but then throw in the cream cheese and cheese and you've killed the good for you factor.

Lisa

Well, I'm probably going to try fat free cream cheese next go around. I'm debating low-fat cheese, since it's all melted into the chowder, anyway.

Oh, just have to mention that I forgot the butter the last time around, and it still was pretty darn tasty

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I wondered about making it with Sweet Potatoes or a mixture?? Does that sound gross?? I was thinking it might make it healthier, lol. but then throw in the cream cheese and cheese and you've killed the good for you factor.

Lisa

Lisa,

I think Sweet Potato sounds wonderful in it! YUM! I'll have to try that too. In fact, we like sweet much better than white potatoes, so my family would probably like it better that way.

I used skim milk, low fat cream cheese, and low fat sharp cheddar in it when I made it, and Smart Balance butter blend - which is a blend of butter and olive oil. I feel like that made it very healthy. Low-fat dairy is a good source of protein and calcium! Add in Sweet Potato, and you've upped the nutritional value and the fiber!:thumbup:

BUT - that's as low as I'll go, because I'm vehemently opposed to fat-free cheeses. FF Milk is okay, because that can be done w/o any extra chemical processing, but FF cheeses are so processed they are no longer food. :yuck:

 

[Lisa/ChefBear]

Becky,
If you (or anyone else tries it) please let me know. I'd love to offer even healthier alternatives to my hostesses. But I don't know my kiddos would eat it without complaint.

Lisa

 

[c00p]

I was sooo wondering if anyone had made this with garlic, because come on, cooking without garlic???? Really?????

 

[siglamb71]

I have made the recipe, exactly how the recipe reads twice now and it seems awfully "soupy" to be chowder. Its kind of bland. I wound up adding diced ham pieces and garlic to it and cornstarch to thinken it up. Is it soupy for everyone else or am I doing something wrong? I was thinking about cutting back to just 3 cups of milk instead of 3 1/2.

Any suggestions?

 

[NooraK]

It does come out much thinner than one would expect "chowder" to be. We made it at our last cluster meeting and discussed pros and cons. There were suggestions to make it thicker by using cream and other "richer" ingredients.One of the points that was made, though, was that this is a $1/serving recipe. Some of the ingredients and quantities are probably chosen to keep that price point. You could probably change it up a bit and get it to be thicker, but keep that in mind when thinking about the price and what you might tell customers about it.

 

[PCJenni]

sweet potatoes.. what a great idea!

 

[nldavis321]

Mine was pretty soupy we well. I cut a cup of milk out. Added the cheese. Stirred until melted, THEN added some of the 1 cup of milk I cut out until I got the consistency I was looking for. That seemed to really work nicely.I love this chowder!!! We have it for dinner once a week in my home. I have added pepper flakes and chicken, diced ham, and even just some a big handful of bacon bits to it. Also, something that helps me, because sometimes I forget to take out the cream cheese, is I use whipped cream cheese. It is already smooth and gets whipped into the milk faster.

 

[siglamb71]

Thanks for y'alls help. I have a show tomorrow and am making the chowder. I wanted it thicker, so I will definitely be trying some of your suggestions!

Thanks!

 

[Grandmarita]

Add a can of cream of corn in place of one of your cups of milk. That would give you an opportunity to demo the can opener.

It was "watery" when we had it at our cluster meeting. Maybe a few additional potatoes would thicken it some. But definitely consider some kind of canned corn as an additional flavoring. Chopped onions sauteed and added would help too.

RE: Sweet potatoes. There is a restaurant in our area that served a pumpkin soup in the Fall months. I believe he put in a few sweet potatoes for the flavor that reminded me of pumpkin pie (yes, complete with the spices). You would have to tinker with that one to see how you liked it. I doubt it would be one we would demo. Just fun for a different soup for lunch with the girls.

 

[aslion]

I think the thickness of the soup depends on the type of milk that you use. I used whole milk when I made it at home and it was very thick but, when we made it at my cluster meeting we used 2% and it was thin.

Next time I make it I will definitely peel most of the potato (like peeling strips down each) so that you still get the nutrients from the potato skin but with out the huge chunks of skin that are left without peeling. I would also add some garlic as some of you have pointed out that it is lacking in some flavor. I am going to also tinker around with adding some herbs to it. Thyme is my favorite herb to add to chowders but I am thinking that maybe a little bit of the Rosemary herb seasoning mix might be tasty.

I like the suggestion of adding ham to it and might offer that as an option. But, I do like that this is a vegetarian option too so might just serve the cubed ham on the side like with the bacon.

 

[cookin to the top]

I LOVE this soup!!! I agree with the milk- whole milk comes out the best for the consistency. I include chopped bacon also, which I think makes the flavor the best!

 

[jross93]

Anyone have any ideas what I can substitute for the cream cheese? My husband HATES cream cheese....I made this last weekend and the cream cheese taste was VERY strong....He took one bite and was done! I thought it was very "cream cheesy" the first day....wasn't as strong the second day, but could still def. taste it. We're big soup people, and I want to make it again - but I want him to eat it!!
Any suggestions??
Jen

 

[janezapchef]

Goat cheese? No clue how that would taste, but I know cream cheese and goat cheese sub a lot for each other.

 

[mom4angela]

We had this recipe at our cluster meeting.. I did NOT like it at all. It was SO bland. I salted, and salted.. but nope, didn't do it for me. I like the onion idea, but ya know we have such GREAT other recipes, I think I'm skipping this one. I don't LOVE it, so it's not going to a show with me!

 

[jennyl]

Has anyone tried to make more than a single batch of this at once? I'm thinking of doing 1 1/2 times the recipe and I think that would fit ok (just may take a little longer to cook the potatoes).
Has anyone done a double batch, or 1 1/2 times?

I like the ideas people have had of adding the creamed corn or a can of corn - has anyone tried that?

Thanks.

 

[jennyl]

Just bumping this up to see if anyone has done more than a single batch of this at once?

 

[junkfortara]

Has anyone had issues with the potatoes staying hard? I had to cook nearly 30 minutes for just the potatoes! I will definitely try quartering them next time.
I'm afraid to do this recipe for a show- what if my host has a weak microwave and I end up microwaving for 30 minutes again.
It was delicious though!

 

[babywings76]

I don't think I would double this recipe because mine tends to boil over in the microwave as it is. I had to make 2 crockpots of this recipe, so I made 4 separate batches and then put them in the crockpots. Junkfortara, it sounds like maybe you have a lower wattage microwave? At a show, I would definitely quarter the potatoes, maybe even smaller, just in case.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Has anyone had issues with the potatoes staying hard? I had to cook nearly 30 minutes for just the potatoes! I will definitely try quartering them next time.
I'm afraid to do this recipe for a show- what if my host has a weak microwave and I end up microwaving for 30 minutes again.
It was delicious though!

I use smaller potatoes - just tell my hosts to have 2.5 lbs. I peel them partly before the show (I found that the peelings separate from the potatoes, and it just isn't visually appealing to have a layer of potato peels floating on the top of the soup.:yuck and cut them into at least quarters. It takes about 5 minutes to do all this, and it cuts at least 10-12 minutes off the cooking time, plus you don't have to be flipping potatoes around to make sure they are all getting cooked. I have them cooked and ready to mash before the demo starts.

I'm really curious as to why the Test Kitchen did this the way they did with those big honking potatoes. They are actually harder to find and more expensive - but this week at 2 different local stores, you can get a 10# bag of smaller potatoes for $1.49, or an 8# bag for $1.29 (depending on the store).

 

[VeronicaW]

Can I say Family Fave?! I don't remember hearing so many Mmmmmmms during one meal in a long time!

I've made this one lots of times, we love it!

note: It did take longer at one of my shows, we used garden potatoes. Not all the same size and extensions.

I do suggested the little red potatoes, scrub and half. I used the tongs or large spoon to mix them around before continuing to bake. It does work much better this way.

I am going to add Roasted Garlic to our next meal, I have added onion to ours, I'll saute them first next time.

I use 2%, and I haven't found it too runny.
I guess I wouldn't recommend doubling or 1 1/2ing it, you don't want it spilling out all over, especially at a show!

I've used the 1/3 less fat cream cheese; cheddar and different shredded blends - very tasty! And of course extra green onion and bacon baked on our Bar Pan.

 

[pampchefrhondab]

Mine has turned out thick both times I made it, but maybe I'm using too many potatoes!
I have used Russet, peeled them, cut them in half and filled the bottom of the baker. I use 1% milk, but regular cream cheese. The last time I used the potato masher - I used it a bit too much!

I think the soup is really good, but I put reg. onion in it while cooking - about 1/4 cup. I think this gives it more flavor. I always put real bacon bits on the top too.

Funny, I like the thickness mine has turned out, but my husband said he would like it thinner (LOL)! The next time I'm going to try less potatoes.

 

[lauriedip]

I made this last night but had read a thread on here before so i sauted onion, bacon bits, garlice and alittle jalepaneo peppers and added that, i used l l/2 c. 1% milk, 1/2 c. half and half, and used a can of whole kernel corn. I used regular baking potatoes and quarter them . when done , we just added extra liquid if we wanted it thinner. my dh likes things runny and I thick, so this way we do as we choose, he added alot more salt and pepper. but i reheated it today and it was great! oh yea, he added a little tabsco sauce also!

 

[meea]

Hi Everyone!
How many servings do you think one recipe really serves?

May have a show that ends up with over 20 people...we are doing pork tenderloin..but wanting to add this recipe also since FL finally has had a cool front!
Wondering if I need to double it and already have one done ahead of time.

Any suggestions??