Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 175 °C. Wash the potatoes and bake for about 1 to 1¼ hours, until a fork slides in easily. This can also be done the day before.
- Fry the bacon in a pan until crisp, drain on kitchen paper and crumble roughly.
- Melt the butter in a pot, whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, to a very pale golden roux. Gradually pour in the milk, stirring constantly, add the garlic and season with a little salt and pepper.
- Halve the potatoes, scoop out the flesh and set aside. Chop half of the skins finely and discard the rest.
- Once the milk sauce is hot, stir in the potato flesh. Add the spring onions and chopped skins and mix well. Fold in the soured cream and bacon and heat the soup through thoroughly, thinning with a little milk if needed.
- Stir in the Cheddar bit by bit until everything has melted. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper and serve sprinkled with a little bacon, spring onion and cheese.
Drink with it
Dark beer · excellent match
Bamberg Rauchbier (Märzen) or porter
The beechwood smoke of the beer picks up the crispy bacon, the roasted malt echoes the nutty spice of the Cheddar, and the malt sweetness rounds off the potato.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecueIPA · good match
Pale ale or IPA with moderate bitterness
Hop bitterness and carbonation cut through cheese, soured cream and bacon fat.
What Is an IPA? Hop Aroma with Many FacesWhite wine · good match
Lightly oaked Chardonnay
Creamy texture and butter notes suit the velvety milk soup, and the acidity stands up to Cheddar and bacon fat.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosingSmoky whisky · good match
Lightly smoky Highland whisky, with water, after the soup
The smoky note mirrors the bacon, and the water opens up the sweetness and keeps the whisky from burning next to the creamy soup.
Why Does Whisky Taste Smoky? Peat, Simply Explained
Why it pairs well
Whisky with soup is surprising; as a small sip to finish it works because the bacon smoke builds a bridge to the smoky note.