How to Copy Rafferty’s Potato Soup Recipe at Home
Have you ever eaten at a restaurant and fallen in love with a dish that you decided to remake so you could eat it as often as you wanted? Well, you aren’t alone, because people do this all the time. It also isn’t uncommon for each person that makes a recipe to put their own unique twist on it. If you have fallen in love with Rafferty’s Restaurant and Bar’s potato soup and you want to make it at home, here is a guide so you can make the absolute best replica of this recipe ever.
Gather the Ingredients
One of the main aspects of making the perfect soup, especially one that is equivalent to Rafferty’s, is having high-quality ingredients. Rafferty’s has been in business since 1981, so they’ve had plenty of time to perfect this delectable potato soup recipe. Here is a list of the ingredients that you will need to create this recipe:
- 10 – 12 medium-sized potatoes
- One large onion
- 8 oz of cream cheese
- One can of cream of mushroom soup
- One and 1/2 cups of milk
- One half stick of butter
- One can of celery soup
- One teaspoon of garlic powder
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Chives
- Bacon bits
Start Preparing the Soup
After you’ve gathered all the necessary ingredients, it’s time to start preparing this delicious soup. The recipe doesn’t specify what type of onion, milk, or butter, so you can use any type of onion you want; whole milk, and salted or unsalted butter. Either type of butter is almost guaranteed to taste just as delicious.
Step one – choose a saucepan that is large enough to accommodate the potatoes and onion.
Step two – fill the pot about 3/4 full with water. Bring the water to a boil and then place the potatoes (freshly-washed and with the skin on) into the boiling water along with the onion.
Step three – cover with a lid and boil until the potato is tender and a fork can easily puncture the flesh. This should be accomplished in 10-15 minutes. Once the potatoes are sufficiently tender, remove them from the heat.
Step four – after draining the water from the potatoes and onion, use a masher and mash the potatoes until they’re adequately mashed, but with a few chunks remaining.
Step five – stir the cream cheese and milk into the potato and onion mixture. Add to the heat for a few moments, just until warm, and then remove from the heat.
Step six – mix in the cream cheese until completely melted.
Step seven – your soup is now ready for all the toppings to be added. To make it exactly like Rafferty’s, be sure to add the shredded cheese, bacon bits, and chives.
Possible Substitutions
If you want to substitute a few ingredients in this soup, then it’s totally up to you. Most people enjoy personalizing recipes to suit their specific taste buds. Here are some things that you can substitute if you dare, but these substitutions could cause you to end up with a different flavor than the soup from Rafferty’s. If you make too many substitutions, then it will no longer be a copy of Rafferty’s potato soup, and it will be your own.
Cauliflower – if you’re on a low-carb diet yet you’d still like to enjoy this delicious soup, then you can use cauliflower instead of the potatoes. While the soup will still be tasty and have the same, hearty texture, cauliflower tastes nothing like potatoes. Hopefully, substituting the potatoes with cauliflower doesn’t alter the taste too drastically, or you may ask yourself why you made “potato” soup in the first place?
Sweet potatoes – perhaps you would like a more colorful, sweet-tasting potato soup, and if so, then you could substitute the white potatoes in the soup for sweet. However, just like with cauliflower, you might not feel as if the taste is close enough to be considered a copycat of Rafferty’s. If all you want is a delicious-tasting, hearty soup, then sweet potatoes will definitely enable you to create such a soup. While it may not taste like you’re eating a bowl of soup from the actual restaurant, it will taste delicious in its own way.
Shallots – you may be trying to keep your soup meat-free, and if so, then you can easily substitute the bacon bits for lightly sauteed shallots. Shallots taste nothing like bacon bits, but they will still give the soup a robust flavor.
Leeks – whether you’re allergic to onions or you simply want something slightly different, leeks are a great substitute. In fact, the two vegetables taste so similar to one another that anyone who will be eating your soup will probably mistake the leeks for onions.
Foods to Pair with Your Copycat Potato Soup
There are many foods to pair with your copycat potato soup. If you’re a soup and sandwich type person, then you could serve roast beef, chicken, or turkey sandwiches with your “Rafferty’s” soup.
If you’re not in the mood for sandwiches and you want something a bit simpler, then homemade, from-scratch biscuits, garlic bread, or even cornbread would be great additions. The specific recipe that you use is your choice, and whichever recipe you opt for, you’re likely to enjoy your potato soup and bread.
You may like eating salad with your soup, and if so, the sky is the limit when it comes to choosing the type of salad to pair with your potato soup. You can make your salad as simple or as elaborate as you’d like, as long as you’re careful to ensure that the items you add to the salad will complement the flavors of the soup.
Eating Leftover Potato Soup
You may have noticed in the past that leftover soups and similar foods often taste better than they did initially. This likely has a lot to do with the flavors steeping into the soup for an extended period. Anyway, reheating your potato soup should be very simple. You can heat it up on the stove, in a sauce pan, or in the microwave, using a microwave-safe bowl. If your soup seems too thick, then you can add a bit of milk and stir.
As you can see, with a bit of determination and time in the kitchen, you can create Rafferty’s potato soup and enjoy it anytime you want. There’s no need to visit the restaurant and bar every time you’re craving this delectable dish. Hopefully, your soup will turn out exactly like Rafferty’s, or even better.
