Potato Jalapeno Soup

This is a deliciously creamy potato soup with a delightful kick. It's not as spicy as you might expect… but you'll definitely know there's some jalapeno in there!

We had a bunch of jalapenos left over from this summer's garden. What do you do with them? Here is a great idea. It's a take off on a soup we had aboard a Royal Caribbean ship.

1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup margarine or butter
3 pounds potatoes, cubed
8 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
1 pinch baking soda
4 cups evaporated milk
black pepper to taste
salt to taste
1/2 cup cilantro

• In a large stockpot, sauté the onion in butter or margarine until it becomes tender and translucent.
• Add the potatoes, chicken broth, and cumin.
• Bring to a boil, cover and cook until potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes).
• Remove from heat and add the jalapenos, baking soda (to keep it all from curdling), and the evaporated milk.
• Use a potato masher to coarsely mash the potatoes in the pot.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Put back on the stove and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often to keep the evaporated milk from burning or scalding.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit.
• Ladle several cups of the soup into a blender and puree for a minute or so.
• Continue pureeing small batches until all the soup is creamy and smooth.
• Return three cups back to the blender, add the cilantro and re-puree.
• Add that back to the main pot of creamy soup and stir until the cilantro flavor is mixed throughout.
• Garnish with cilantro sprigs and/or sour cream.