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This easy Irish potato soup is an excellent easy slow cooker recipe for the night of the week that your family will love! This comforting bowl of soup is peppered with bacon, grated Welsh cheddar cheese and freshly chopped chives.
For this month’s Historically Hungry Challenge, Amy and I wanted to revisit an event in history that totally changed an entire country: Ireland and the Great Potato Famine! Normally, when we make our historical recipes, I try to create something that could have been enjoyed during that time and place. But that wouldn’t really work in this case (Because – “Here you go, it’s an air bowl! Dig it!” usually doesn’t fly very well.)
Instead, he wanted to pay homage to Ireland and the humble little tuber that caused so much chaos: the potato. During the 1800s, most people ate a mostly vegetarian meal, and it consisted mostly of soups and stews, so a potato soup that cooks all day in the slow cooker was a perfect choice.
Serve this with Irish soda bread for a delicious and amazing meal!
A brief look at
the Great Potato Famine
The Great Potato Famine was a period in Irish history around 1845-1849 where a potato blight infected potatoes and caused (to put it to the light) A LOT of suffering.
Basically, a disease caused by one type of fungus infected all the potatoes that destroyed both the leaves and tubers of the potato plant. Before the plague hit, many tenant farmers were already struggling to support their families. The potato was a favorite choice for cultivation because it was hardy, nutritious, and calorie-dense and grew easily in the soil. In fact, it was such a favorite crop that nearly half the population had come to rely on the potato as an important (or complete) staple in their diet. When the plague came, most of the potato crop was rotting in the field, and people quickly became hungary.
The disease spread throughout Europe, but due to Ireland’s dependence on potatoes, it was truly catastrophic there. Unfortunately, year after year, things got worse. There was no food, no work, disease was rampant, the government failed to act properly, the economy was in ruins, and people were dying. Things were just… shit.
By the end of the famine, more than a million Irish
had died, another million and a half had migrated elsewhere!
To read more about the Irish potato famine, read this article from Birtannica.com and this one from the BBC is a great article explaining how crop failure turned into a catastrophe.
So… Now that we’re all depressed, let’s eat some soup, okay?
How to prepare Irish
potato
soup in advance
This Irish soup is easy to prepare in advance
. You can peel and dice the potatoes the night before.
- Place the potato pieces in a pot of cold water in the refrigerator until ready to use
- Onion, celery and garlic can be diced in advance and stored in an airtight container in
- Shred the cheese and store it in the fridge until ready to serve.
.
the fridge. Cook the bacon and store it in the fridge until morning.
This potato soup also reheats well, so it’s really good for leftovers and meal preparation.
How to serve
slow cook potato soup
How to serve soup
as snacks: This potato soup can be served to young children as a snack by filtering solids from liquids. Also serve with some grated cheese, soft cooked bacon cut into cubes and finely chopped chives.
For children, Irish potato soup can be served in a small bowl. Let children cover their soup with ingredients of their choice: grated cheese, pieces of bacon, chopped chives, and pepper. Sour cream would also be a great addition!
For adults, this easy potato soup can be topped with your favorite ingredients and enjoyed. Serve with crusty bread and butter and enjoy!
How Kids
Can Help Make Slow-Cooking
Potato Soup One of the best ways to get kids interested in eating new foods is to have them help you prepare food! Here are some age-appropriate ways to bring your kids into the kitchen with you:
Children ages 1 to 3 can help you measure ingredients, wash and dry potatoes and celery. Children ages 4 to 6 can help do all of the above, as
- well as help you crush cheese and cut chives. Children ages 7 to 10+ can help do all of the above
- plus help you dice onions and celery, chop cooked bacon.
,
*Please note that these recommendations are generalized, and please use your personal discretion with your child’s skill level. And always, always supervise! Read more about how to get your kids to help you in the kitchen.
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Want a more visual step by step? Check out the history of how to make slow-cooked Irish potato soup.
