Striper/Wiper Potato soup!

Ok, I did it.
Using Kathy's Potato soup recipe, modify and add Striper meat, MMM, MMM, Good! ;)
You'll have equal amounts of Potato Soup without striper, and Striper Potato Soup, Just because mama said so! ;) (If momma's happy, well, you get it!)

1 Med. Onion, thinly sliced
1 long stalk celery
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed and thinly sliced/diced
1 2/3 stick butter
8 strips bacon, cooked crisp, crumbled
1 2/3 cup flour
1 gallon milk, may not use all
6 medium idaho potatoes
1-2 lbs striper meat ready to cook
8oz sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese for individual bowls
Salt
Pepper
Hot ground pepper mix
Cayenne pepper
Garlic salt

I melted all but 1/3 stick of butter in fry pan, slicing onion, celery and garlic clove into melted butter, I saute'd this slow on med.

When onions and celery were cooked but not brown, I took 3/4 of the onions/celery/garlic mix and put in a bowl and set aside, trying to leave most of the butter in pan. In this mix I stirred in salt/pepper and other spices to taste, I like it fairly hot but not heart burn, about 1/2 teaspoon cayenne. This set aside onion/celery mix goes in frying pan w/striper near end of recipe.

Take peeled potatoes, thinly sliced, put in microwave bowl with a tablespoon or 2 of water, Heat covered for 15 minutes. Stir mid way through.

While potatoes cook, I transferred melted butter w/ 1/4 onion/celery mix in large stock pot, adding remaining 1/3 stick of butter. Low heat.

I also cooked bacon at this time, placed cooked bacon on paper towels to drain, keeping a couple tablespoons bacon grease for potato soup, a couple tablespoons for frying striper.

I kept butter in stock pot at low heat, slowly adding flour, stirring evenly until it was all mixed in butter mix.

Then add milk, turn heat up as you add milk, until you're at med/hi, now you have to stir until butter/flour/milk mix becomes thicker, using up to the whole gallon to give you enough mix in pot to just about 2/3 full. Add salt and pepper and remaining spices to your taste.

When you have the butter/flour/milk mix as thick as you want, add cooked potatoes, I used a potato masher to break the slices up, but not too much, you want some potato gravy and chunks too.

Crush the bacon add to potato soup. Add sour cream and mix in well, let simmer on low while you fry striper.

To fry striper, use frying pan butter, onion, celery and garlic was cooked in, add the onion/celery mix, add more butter, and bacon grease, to cover bottom of pan. Med. heat.
Add strips of striper meat, brown and turn over, then cover to let striper kind of fry/roast under the cover.
When striper is done, you're just about there.
Split Pot of potato soup in half (or, cook twice as much striper for a full pot of striper soup.)
Add cooked striper to one pot, again use potato masher to break up but leave chunky.
As you ladle into bowl, use handful of shredded cheese to garnish.

All I know is it was delicious, it's the first time I tried this, and really enjoyed it, here's a couple pics of the process in action:

[URL=http://imageshack.us][img]http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/9833/striperpotatosoup122108sk3.jpg[/img][/URL]
[URL=http://g.imageshack.us/img88/striperpotatosoup122108sk3.jpg/1/][img]http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/striperpotatosoup122108sk3.jpg/1/w640.png[/img][/URL]

[URL=http://imageshack.us][img]http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/2049/striperpotatosoup122108ev6.jpg[/img][/URL]
[URL=http://g.imageshack.us/img257/striperpotatosoup122108ev6.jpg/1/][img]http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/striperpotatosoup122108ev6.jpg/1/w640.png[/img][/URL]

[URL=http://imageshack.us][img]http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/5411/striperpotatosoup122108ly6.jpg[/img][/URL]
[URL=http://g.imageshack.us/img166/striperpotatosoup122108ly6.jpg/1/][img]http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/striperpotatosoup122108ly6.jpg/1/w640.png[/img][/URL]:D:D