Standard Recipe Disclaimer: I am not big on measuring, use your best judgement.

Ingredients

Just do it

Peel and dice potatoes. I used 5 good size russets, whatever you have will work. I'd guess maybe 6 cups of diced potatoes, somewhere around there. In a stock pot or dutch oven, throw in some butter, maybe a few tablespoons. Toss in the onions and cook several minutes until they start to turn translucent. Add minced garlic, a few teaspoons should do it, and cook a few more minutes. Toss in the potatoes, and stir around to coat and cook for a few minutes.

Add enough stock to completely cover the potatoes. If you want to be cool, and I know you do, add a little bag of fresh herbs like rosemary, basil, thyme, and tarragon. Oh yeah. Simmer until potatoes are nice and mushy, or at least as mushy as you like them, maybe 30 minutes.

In another pot, throw in about 4 tablespoons of butter and melt. Add in 4 tablespoons of flour and whisk. Cook a few minutes, the roux should thicken up nicely. Whisk in some heavy cream, I used a pint. Bring to a boil while whisking constantly.

Add the roux/cream to the soup and stir in in well. Taste it. Add salt and pepper until it tastes good. I added some old bay seasoning, and that was a good idea. Now add in a package of shredded cheddar cheese. Add in some broccoli, maybe 1 head or more if you like broccoli, just remember to wash it first like I always forget to do. Simmer all this for a bit, maybe 10 minutes, until the broccoli is cooked enough for you. If you want, take a stick blender and smooth things up a bit, but I didn't.

DONE! Makes about 10 servings of seriously thick and creamy soup.

The half-assed lazy student's approach to this most transcendent of all foods is as follows:

ingredients:
2 potatoes (I have no idea what I used) diced and peeled if you want. Waste not, want not, though
a few handfuls frozen broccoli
enough stock to cover the potatoes
two or three cloves finely chopped garlic
any other herbs you fancy
1-1/2 cup preshredded mature cheddar
a lump of salted butter (if you use unsalted I will hurt you)

Ok, here's how to do it.
Set a pot of water to boil, if you're not using stock. Unwrap a few stock cubes and make sure that the water is boiling before you toss them in. Stir slightly, and add your spices.
While that's heating an infusing, dice the potatoes. I did one per serving but that's just me.
Toss them in and wait about half an hour. Stir occasionally and when they're good and ready, remove 1 cup potato chunks sans the broth and mash well with butter and maybe a hint of milk or cream.
return this to the pot and stir. The liquid should thicken very nicely. As an alternative, or if you just like the flavour, add some canned parmesan cheese (yes, the Kraft variety... Don't look at me like that!)
Once the soup is thickened add in the cheese and maybe a little more butter. It's all to taste. Test to see how gooey and sublime it is.

About a minute or two before serving, add in the broccoli. Stir it up and let it become tender but crisp. Mine took three minutes.

Serve and enjoy with gusto. A good garnish is sour cream or a salad. Homemade white bread with a lashing of butter works too.

Warning: may induce an instant heart attack in susceptible individuals. Eat at your own risk.

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