Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year: Week 1

As a beloved staple by many, potato soup is known for warming the soul on chilly winter days. Filled with flavor, Joanna’s recipe did not disappoint, and thoroughly saturated the palate with a burst of flavors perfectly toned together. From first glance at the ingredients, I was not expecting it to be as flavorful as it truly was, so I was very pleasantly surprised with the balance of flavors and textures within the soup. Likewise, with only using one pot, it was a very easy recipe to cook which I always count as a bonus.

Crowd Average Rating

As only Charlie and I had the opportunity to eat and rate this dish, our average rating of the Country Potato Soup was a 7, which I believe is a solid start to our Magnolia journey. My rating was a little higher, while Charlie’s was slightly lower due to soup not typically qualifying for his most favorite entree. Even still, we both had several bowls and will definitely add it to our list of satisfying winter soups to make again.

While not paired within the cookbook together, the flavors of the Bacon & Gruyere Drop Biscuits perfectly complemented the Country Potato Soup. Hearty yet not greasy, these drop biscuits have the most wonderful crispy exterior accented with bacon and soft interior melded with the gruyere cheese. Not only do the flavors partner well with the potato soup, but the cooking processes also pair nicely. As both the drop biscuits and the potato soup call for oven baked bacon, I was able to bake all the needed bacon on one cookie sheet while chopping and preparing the vegetables for the soup. This merge not only saved time, but also kept the mess and utensils needed to a minimum.

Crowd Average Rating

Like the potato soup, both Charlie and I rated these biscuits a 7. While they were delicious and easy to make, my only drawback against them was trying to separate them from the parchment paper that lined the tray before serving. I am not sure if I used the wrong side or somehow messed things up, but we had quite a challenging time with the parchment sticking to the base of the biscuit (lol I am not positive we ever got it all off and am sure we ate some of it). I definitely would make these again, however for future baking, I would recommend using aluminum foil sprayed with olive oil instead.

• Green beans
• Butter
• Garlic – minced cloves and whole heads
• Light brown sugar
• Dry sherry or sherry vinegar
• Apple cider vinegar
• Sliced almonds
• Ground black pepper

• Russet Potatoes
• Kosher salt
• Milk
• Lemon
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Whole chicken
• Olive oil