Cheesy Potato and Broccoli Soup

This is called a velouté in French. Velvety. It's a comfort food. Velouté is one of the "mother sauces" George Auguste Escoffier from cuisine the way it was taught until his time. It involves a roux.

This is vaguely imitative of Chuck-a-Rama's soup. It's not served reliably every day, but quite frequently.

Yield

6-8.

Ingredients

3 cups	chicken broth
2-3 medium	carrots sliced thinly
2-3 stalks	celery sliced
3-4	potatoes, peeled and diced, prefer Yukon Gold
1	yellow onion diced
4 cups	broccoli, chopped
6 slices	bacon
⅓ cup	flour
3 cups	milk
16 oz	cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tsp	salt
½ tsp	pepper
1 tsp	dry mustard
—	chives or green onions, chopped (optional)

Preparation

1. In a dutch oven, bring the broth to a boil with the carrots, celery, potatoes and onion. Reduce heat to a simmer. Stir, cover the pot and let cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.

2. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, cook the bacon until beginning to crisp. Remove from the pan leaving the drippings. Slice the bacon as you would like to see it in the soup.

3. Add the broccoli to the large pot of vegetables, cover and let cook for another 10 minutes.

4. Whisk the flour into the bacon drippings to make the roux. Allow to cook, stirring constantly, until the flour is cooked, about 30-60 seconds. Do not brown the roux. Pour in the milk, whisking all the while, and let simmer until it starts to bubble and thicken, about 5 minutes.

5. Add the cheddar cheese to the milk mixture in four parts, mixing well between each addition to let it melt. Add the salt, pepper and mustard, then add all to the pot of broth and vegetables.

6. Sir thoroughly to combine, add in the bacon and salt and pepper to taste.

7. Top with chopped chives or green onions, as desired. Serve warm!