Crockpot Thyme Potato Soup

Summary
Prep time	20 min
Cook time	3-4 hours on high, or 8-10 hours on low
Source	Barefeet in the Kitchen blog
Yield / serves	6-8 servings
Rating	Very good

Ingredients

• 3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into 3/4"-1" pieces, about 7-8 cups worth
• 1 small yellow onion, diced small
• 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, adjust to taste
• 1 teaspoon crushed thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground rosemary
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock (or 6 cups water, plus 2 tablespoons chicken or vegetable base)
• 1/4 cup flour, I use brown rice flour for this
• 1 cup half and half, heavy cream, or milk (whatever your preference)
• Optional toppings: cheese, crumbled bacon, chives, green onions, parsley

Preparation

Turn the crock-pot onto HIGH or LOW and place the potatoes, onion, garlic, spices and stock in the pot. Stir to combine and cover with a lid. On HIGH, it should take between 3-4 hours for the potatoes to soften, on LOW, it should take from 8-10 hours.

When the potatoes are just barely soft enough to slide off of a fork, scoop out about 1/2 cup of the broth and set aside. Mash the cooked potatoes gently, just to break up the bigger pieces and slightly thicken the soup. Whisk 1/4 cup of flour into the reserved broth until it is smooth. Stir in 1 cup of half and half (or heavy cream, if you have it) and whisk again for a moment until it is smooth again. Pour this into the crock-pot and reduce the heat to LOW. Let it cook at least an hour, stirring once or twice.

I've also let this soup cook up to an additional 2 hours (provided it is on LOW after adding the cream) and then unplugged the crockpot and uncovered it and waited as much as another hour to serve it. This is a very flexible soup and it holds quite well until you are ready to serve it.

When the soup has thickened and is warm throughout it is ready. If desired, serve with the toppings of your choice. Enjoy!