Creamy Potato and Dill Soup

Mmm...yesterday I made soup for our lunches this week and it turned out so well. We all tasted it before dinner last night and I think if I hadn't already started dinner, we would have just had soup.

We'll be eating this all winter.

3 lbs potatoes (about 8 small), peeled and diced*
1 large carrot, diced
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp butter (you could substitute oil, but butter gives it more flavour)
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups water
2 Tbsp dried dill
2-3 strips of bacon, optional
salt and pepper to taste

*Medium to large dice is fine

Melt the butter in a heavy pot over low heat. Add the onion and garlic, stir occasionally until soft, do not let it brown. Add the carrots and cover. Let it sweat for 6-8 minutes. Add potatoes, cover and sweat for 3-4 more minutes. Add the broth, water and dill and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots and potatoes are very tender.

The soup was tasty without the bacon, but Alex and I both felt it was missing something. We had bacon meatballs for dinner and as I was preparing the bacon for the meatballs, I realized that, hey, bacon would be awesome in this soup. I chopped it and cooked it in a frying pan, drained it well and added the bacon to the soup. Now it's heavenly...Alex thinks it would be yummy with grated cheese and a dollop of sour cream on top too..