Pioneer Potato Soup from Kirsten’s World: American Girl Recipes
Hello, my Dear! Welcome to my new project… Cooking through the nostalgic American Girl Cook Books.
Several months ago, I had the idea to give this project a try and it took a lot of planning but here we are. In this series, I wanted to not only showcase some of the recipes from the Pleasant Company books but also take the opportunity to recreate the doll outfits, adapt the recipes to my own style, and make some of the crafts as well.
In this post, I’ll be sharing some history of potato soup on the prairie! This soup is adapted from Kirsten’s Cook Book, and it is positively delicious! Potato soup itself is rather simple to make, so I decided to add some extra flavor to boost it up and make it a staple in your weekly winter meal rotation!
I love rereading Kirsten’s books and about her journey to the American Midwest. In amongst this project I have also been reading Women’s Diaries of the Westward Journey by Lillian Schlissel. In Schlissel’s research she tells of the women who traveled across the country from Iowa, Missouri, and Ohio to Oregon, California, Idaho, and Utah. This mass migration happened during the 1830s to 1890s, with the largest amount of the people making the trek during the 1840s and a bit into the 1850s.
One aspect that I have found most interesting about this book is that Schlissel outlines that many of the diaries were not necessarily written in a personal manner like how we might associate a diary today, with things like feelings and hidden thoughts. Instead, these diaries were more like maps and calendars. They were written to make notes of obstacles or landmarks for when future family members might decide to make the journey.
Kirsten’s story takes place in 1854, right in the middle of this moment in history. In the first book, Meet Kirsten, the Larsons are traveling from Sweden to Minnesota. While the journey is still difficult, they are rather lucky to have a map to follow from their relative, Kirsten’s Unlce Olav, and a place to stay rather than an empty plot of land.
potatoes were a necessity:
Did you know that some varieties of potato can last in storage for several months at a time? The lowly potato was a necessity for survival for many people throughout history, and it was just as vital in the survival of the American and European immigrant families that made their way across the western United States during the 19th century migration. Because of its longevity in storage, this crop became incredibly important to get people through the harsh Midwest and Heartland winters.
Potatoes were planted in the American colonies as early as 1719 and the first Idaho potatoes were planted around 1838. For Kirsten’s family, who were Swedish immigrants, it would have been likely that they would have had access to potatoes at their relations farm when they eventually arrived in Minnesota.
cooking Potato Soup in the 19th century:
As I shared above, Kirsten and her family are rather lucky in their journey west because when they land in Minnesota, even after having to leave almost all of their belongings behind, they still have a home to live in. For many families, this was not the reality. Instead, they were claiming hundreds of acres of land with nothing but a few trunks, perhaps a covered wagon if they were lucky. There are many accounts in Schlissel’s book where families who made the 8 to 9 month journey were left with only the clothes on their backs, choosing to leave behind their trunks to cross the final rivers.
Did Kirsten’s family have a stove? It’s very likely that they did. By 1850, there were 6,000 settlers who had occupied the land that was primarily inhabited by the Dakota Native Americans. By 1857, the population had swelled to over 150,000. The land was originally settled by immigrants of Britain, Germany, and Ireland. But there was a large inpouring of Scandinavian immigrants during the 19th century.
For families at the time who did not have a home to live in, they would have had to cook their potato soup over the open fire. I personally love campfire cooking, but of course, I am able to cook this way out of choice and not necessity. For the women who were left without any other choice but to cook over an open fire, it was laborious and exhausting.
For Kirsten, she would have been cooking over wood or coal range similar to the kind pictured in the advertisement above. If there was not a range in the home, then there was most definitely a fireplace or hearth. It is mentioned that Kirsten and Mama bake bread in the books, so they would have had some type of bread oven or perhaps an outdoor earthen oven.
final thoughts:
I hope that you enjoyed reading more about Kirsten’s journey west and what it might have really been like for families making the westward journey across the United States. As always, I am simply an armchair historian and a person that loves learning more about domestic history, but I am not an interpreter nor am I an expert! If you are interested, I would encourage you to do your own research about this topic and learn more.
This recipe is a wonderful one that I truly hope you have a fun time making in your own cozy cottage kitchen this winter!
xoxo Kayla
Pioneer Potato Soup from Kirsten's World: American Girl Recipes
Ingredients
- 6 slices of thick-cut, smoked bacon
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 shallots, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch (1-cm) chunks
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 tsp dried sage
- 4 cups (960 ml) chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup (240 ml) milk
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) sour cream
- 1/2 cup (57 g) aged white cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Begin by frying the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it is crispy, about 5 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking. Place the bacon a plate and set aside to cool. Reserve the fat from the bacon.
- In a large pot, warm the bacon fat over medium heat. You should have about 4 to 6 tablespoons (90 ml) of bacon fat, but if you do not have enough, you can substitute with butter.
- Cook the onions, shallots, and garlic in the hot fat until they are softened, about 5 minutes. Then, toss in the potatoes, salt, pepper, rosemary, and sage, tossing to coat everything well.
- Once the potatoes are nice and hot, pour in the broth and bring the entire mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot, cooking the soup for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender and falling apart.
- Remove the pot from heat and mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Continue to mash until the soup begins to look like very watery mashed potatoes. Stir in the milk and sour cream. If you prefer, stir in the cheese or save it to serve on the side.
more posts you may enjoy!
This post contains affiliate links, which I may earn a small comission off of to provide an income for my family and continue to create free content such as this.
