2 ½poundspotatoesabout 4 large russets, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1poundcauliflower floretsfresh or frozen
1teaspoonsalt
3cupschicken stock or broth
1cupwhole milk
1cupgrated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepperto taste
Instructions
Place potatoes and cauliflower florets in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, add a teaspoon of salt, and simmer until vegetables are tender when stabbed with a fork, around 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and drain water.
Add chicken stock and milk to pot. Using an immersion blender, purée potato and cauliflower pieces until entire mixture is smooth and creamy. If soup is too thick for your preferences, you may add a bit more broth or milk. Stir in Parmesan. Add salt, to taste (if necessary), and freshly ground black pepper. Place pot back on stove over low heat and stir until Parmesan is melted. Serve hot, with baked potato toppings, if desired.
Notes
If you would like to adjust the vegetable ratios and use more cauliflower and less potatoes, that's totally fine...just keep the total weight to around 3 ½ pounds.
You may use vegetable stock if you would like to make this soup vegetarian. You may also replace the milk with additional stock, if you prefer. The type of stock or broth you use is going to dictate if you need to add additional salt at the end or not. I like to mix up my own broth using Better Than Bouillon chicken base, and since it's already pretty salty, I seldom feel the need to add more.
You can use skim milk, 2%, whole milk, half-and-half, heavy cream...it's up to you! But obviously, the fattier the milk product you use, the richer and creamier the final soup is going to be.
If you don't have an immersion blender, you may purée this soup in batches using a food processor or blender. Just allow it to cool down a bit before doing so, work with small batches at a time (don't fill your blender more than half way!), and leave the top of the blender cracked so that steam can escape and soup doesn't explode everywhere!