Chunky Czech Potato Soup (Bramboračka)

Ready in 30 minutes, this delicious chunky potato soup is a quick, Czech-countryside classic, made with roux, potatoes, dried porcini mushrooms, parsnips, and carrots.

Bramboračka is a Czech slang word that translates as “of potatoes”.

It comes together fairly quickly using just a handful of ingredients, but with each playing a distinctly key role and adding to the final, complex result: a silky, smooth potato soup with a chunky texture.

What’s Czech About This Potato Soup?

It’s the combination of caraway seeds and dried marjoram, both typical Czech ingredients.

Also the root vegetables—potatoes, parsnips, and carrots—which are all farmed in the Czech Republic (my mom grows all three in her garden).

And it’s the porcini mushrooms, which Czechs love to forage in their forests, dry in the sun on top old newspapers, and add to soups and stews.

Which Potatoes Are The Best For A Potato Soup?

Use starchy ones, such as Yukon Gold or Russet. They hold together well during cooking, even when peeled and diced.

What else goes into Bramboračka?

1. Butter & flour–these two will come together and make roux (more below). You just need unsalted butter and unbleached all-purpose flour.
2. Caraway seeds–they’re part of the parsley family and super aromatic, with hints of anise flavor. It’s a common spice in Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, and also my home country, the Czech Republic. (I throw it in the water when I boil potatoes and I always add it when I make sauerkraut).
3. Dried marjoram–it’s an ancient herb with a sweet, mild taste. It goes stale quickly, so test it by rubbing it with your fingers and testing if it smells fresh.
4. Parsnips–white root vegetable that you can find in the market all-year round. It turns sweet and starchy during cooking. You could also mash it, just like potatoes. For the soup, dice them into 1/2-inch pieces–it’s prettier that way—per my mom!
5. Carrots–another root vegetable that’s good for you. Plus it adds a pretty orange color to this potato soup. Same as parsnips, cut them small, because it looks better.
6. Garlic–my mom taught me to add minced garlic at the end and I think it’s a genius trick. The oils in it beautifully season the soup, and add another dimension to it.
7. Dried porcini–scroll down for more info.

Porcini prep for the potato soup:

Porcino; plural porcini (Boletus edulis) are brown, wild mushrooms that can weigh anywhere from one ounce up to a pound. They have a meaty, smooth body and smell like, well, the forest.

They’re not common in the United States, but specialty stores, specifically the ones selling Italian food/ingredients, will most likely stock dried porcini.

You’ll have to bring the porcini to life by soaking them in hot water. Like this:

How to make the chunky Czech potato soup

Start with roux [ROO]. Roux is a smooth paste made with butter and all-purpose flour, cooked carefully over low heat. You must stand there, stir and not let it burn, otherwise your soup would be bitter.

There are three types of roux: white, blond, and brown, named after the time you cook it. In this recipe you’re going for blond, which is beige/pale golden, and cooks in about 3–4 minutes.

Why Roux? It thickens the soup and adds an extra depth to it. Without it, it would be too thin and also taste like any other soup.

Once you have your roux, you’ll pour water into the pot, and bring it to a boil. Add all the potato soup ingredients and simmer until they’re soft, about 10–12 minutes.

And at the end, you’ll stir in the minced garlic.

How long will the potato soup last in the refrigerator?

You can store it, covered, for up to 3 days—it’s actually a great do-ahead soup! Reheat on the stovetop, or in a microwave.

Will the potato soup freeze well?

Sadly, no. Potatoes, and even parsnips, turn into a gross mush after defrosting.

In summary, you should really make this chunky Czech potato soup. Here’s why:

1. It’s so flavorful and comforting—you’re throwing together some root vegetables, dried mushrooms, butter, flour and spices, and cooking them in water, but the end result is pure magic.
2. Fast and easy—the most time-consuming part of this recipe is peeling, and chopping. But even that you can do in 10 minutes max.
3. Cheap and unpretentious—like I said, common, affordable, widely available ingredients. (The porcini might be a little more, but you only need half an ounce).
4. It feeds a crowd—it easily doubles.
5. It’s Czech! You’ll want to tell everyone you made bramboračka, and they’ll think you’re so cool.

Other Czech recipes? Check these out:

My grandma’s amazing pancakes: Fluffy Bohemian Pancakes
Another Czech-countryside soup I grew up eating and love: Sauerkraut-Potato Soup
Bake this: Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
More potato goodness: Czech Potato Pancakes
My childhood on a plate: Cream of Semolina With Two Toppings
The best Christmas cookies ever: Linzer Cookies With Raspberry Jam
My aunt’s amazing fruit tea: Roasted Fruit Tea (Berry & Tropical)
This insane pastry. Don’t call it pizza please! Kolache (Koláče)

Now you.

Did you make this chunky Czech potato soup? Are you a fan?

Tell me in the comments.

Chunky Czech Potato Soup (Bramboračka)

• Author: Michal Martinek
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4 1x
• Cuisine: Czech

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Description

Ready in 30 minutes, this delicious chunky potato soup is a quick, Czech-countryside classic, made with roux, potatoes, dried porcini mushrooms, parsnips, and carrots.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• ½ cup (15 g) dried porcini mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons (27 g) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons (24 g) all-purpose unbleached flour
• 6 cups (1.42 liter) water
• 1 cup (200 g) diced, peeled yellow gold, or russet potatoes, about ¾-inch (2 cm) dice (about 2 small potatoes)
• ¾ cup (97 g) diced, peeled carrots, about ½-inch (1.5 cm) dice (about 1 medium carrot)
• ¾ cup (90 g) diced, peeled parsnip, about ½-inch (1.5 cm) dice (about 1 small parsnip)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
• ½ teaspoon pressed, peeled garlic (about 1 garlic clove)

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Instructions

1. Place the dried porcini in a small bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for 20 minutes. Strain into a sieve, squeeze out as much liquid as you can, and finely chop. Set aside. (Discard the liquid). 
2. Make the roux base. Melt the butter in a medium soup pot over low heat. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the butter, and immediately start stirring with a wooden spoon. Continuously stir until the roux turns pale gold in color, about 3–4 minutes.
3. Pour in the water, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil over high heat. 
4. Add the mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, parsnip, salt, marjoram, and caraway seeds. Lower the heat to low, and simmer partially covered with a lid, until the vegetables are soft, about 10–12 minutes. 
5. Stir in the garlic. Taste and adjust the seasoning. 
6. Store the soup in the fridge for up to 3 days. Don’t freeze the soup because the potatoes and parsnips would turn mushy.

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