Cheesy Potato Soup and Spinach Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

In a little town near where I grew up, there is a wonderful little B&B called The Durning House. They have a restaurant where you can enjoy the most delicious home cooking and amazing pies! I love going there. You feel like you're eating in someone's house, not in a restaurant. The tables have cute linens and china, the service is friendly and my beloved glass of raspberry iced tea never goes empty. This soup and salad are are two of my favorites from their cookbook.

Cheesy Potato Soup

-Adapted from The Durning House

Ingredients:
8 cups peeled and diced potatoes (about 6 large potatoes)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 medium carrot, grated
½ cup (125g) butter
2 T. all-purpose flour
4 cups half-and-half (or 2 cups milk, plus 2 cups heavy cream)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted (I use “Unox” brand)
1/3 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
6 American processed cheese slices (NL: “Cheddar Smeltkaas”)
½ tsp. seasoned salt (sub reg. salt w/ a dash of onion & garlic pwd, cayenne, paprika & dry mustard)
Ground pepper, to taste
Parsley, fresh or dried, to taste

Directions:
Cook the diced potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion, celery and carrot a few minutes until softened, but not browned. Add the flour and stir around for a minute, then slowly pour in the half-and-half. Continue to cook and stir until thickened.

Add the cream of mushroom soup and stir to combine, then dump in the potatoes. Use a masher to break them up into the soup, but do leave some bigger pieces for texture. Add in the cheeses and stir until melted. Season to taste.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

-Adapted from The Durning House and Our Best Bites

Ingredients:
1/3 c. white vinegar
1 heaping tsp. salt
Few turns of ground black pepper
¾ c. superfine sugar
1 tsp. mustard (I use American-style)
1 green onion, ends removed
½ c. vegetable oil
1½ tsp. poppy seeds
10oz (300g) fresh spinach leaves, washed and dried
Pint fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
1 cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped

Directions:
Combine the vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar and mustard in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade. While the blender is running, add the green onion. Continue running it while slowly pouring in the vegetable oil in a steady stream. Continue processing until the green onion is blended in, turning the dressing a green hue, and the sugar is dissolved. Pour the dressing into a jar and stir in the poppy seeds. Refrigerate until use.

To serve, lay the fresh spinach leaves on a platter. Top with sliced strawberries and chopped almonds, then drizzle generously with the dressing just before serving.

Cheesy Potato Soup

Spinach Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad