No Cream - Cream of Potato Soup

Cream of whatever soup is my husband's favorite soup.  You got it -- it almost doesn't matter what the soup is -- it will get his attention if the word cream is in the soup title.  The first time I made artichoke soup (which I will share some other time - it is so good), my husband was convinced it was cream of potato.  It was creamy (yet had no cream), and it was potato colored.  Ever since I made that soup -- he has been asking me for cream of potato soup.  I am somewhat against making cream soups.  I feel like it is my assigned task as Sole Keeper of the Family's Health to cook as healthy as possible for my family.  Because it is a free-for-all of food choices the second we eat out.  Hence I have maintained a no-cream-soup-zone in our home for the past eight years.  But that era has come to a close.  I finally made MY version of cream of potato soup. It has a splash of half and half, but even that was a last second toss in, and I don't believe it MADE the soup.  So if you don't have it in your frig -- don't go to the store to buy it. I would say if you were unwilling to make a cream soup before -- try this version of cream of potato -- it may just change your cream soup free home - like it did mine. 

No Cream - Cream of Potato Soup

3 tablespoons butter
1 or 2 onions thinly sliced
salt / pepper
5 potatoes (keep them whole or half them)
1 box of chicken stock
2 cups water
2 bullion cubes
salt / pepper
1-2 tablespoons of corn starch

1 1/2 x 4 inch chunk of cheddar cheese cut into cubes / or 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
a splash of half and half (optional -- I added it because it was in my frig for my morning coffee)

In the bottom of a stock pot, add 3 tablespoons of butter, onions, salt and pepper on low to med heat. Once onions are softened, add potatoes (* hint they should all be about the same size), chicken stock, water, bullion, a bit of salt and pepper.  Let potatoes cook -- about 20 minutes.  Then when potatoes are cooked, pull some potatoes out and cut into bite size chunks - leave them out of the pot. Use your immersion blend to blend soup (cream). Start out with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a mug with some cold tap water - not a lot - just enough to dissolve the cornstarch. Mix together until there are no lumps.  Slowly add mixture back into boiling soup (soup must be boiling or you will get lumps).   Add cheese chunks, a splash of half and half (if you don't have this in your house -- forget it -- you will not miss it).  If it is not to the thickness you like, repeat cornstarch step. Add potatoes back in the soup.  Serve. If you want, you can add a bit of fresh chives to the top of the soup in each serving bowl -- and/ or a few chunks of crusty toasty hard bread.  Enjoy your no cream cream soup.