Inspired by MasterChef mystery boxes, this recipe features a smoky, spicy potato chowder with homemade potato oyster crackers that’s perfect for cold nights or whenever you’re looking for a big bowl of comfort food.
Table of Contents
- Cheesy, Creamy Potato Chowder With Tomato and Bacon
- Oyster Crackers Recipe
- Tomato & Potato Bacon Chowder Recipe
- Ingredients for the ideal comfort meal
- How to make this traditional German recipe
- How to serve a classic soup and crackers meal
- Storage
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Soup and Chowder Recipes
- Latest Recipes
Cheesy, Creamy Potato Chowder With Tomato and Bacon
‘Tis the season for MasterChef, one of my favorite cooking reality shows. My favorite part of the show week after week is the Mystery Box Challenge.
One of these days, I hope to audition for the show. In the meantime, I decided to play along this year. After watching the show every Wednesday, I’m going to prepare a dish using the mystery box challenge ingredients and post it on my page.
What is the Mystery Box Challenge you ask?
Each week, contestants are given a Mystery Box. When they remove the lid, a variety of surprise ingredients lie beneath. They then have 60 minutes to wow the judges. They must prepare, cook and present one incredible dish using all or some of the ingredients inside the box. And trust me, they are not always basic or simple ingredients.
MYSTERY BOX CHALLENGE 1
On May 29, the home cooks lifted the lid and saw four everyday ingredients: potato, tomato, bacon and chocolate. Some chose to use all four ingredients. There was chocolate-covered bacon and even chocolate mashed potatoes. I, on the other hand, left the chocolate out.
I will admit that I have an advantage that the contestants don’t. I obviously get more time to think about my recipe development and look at my file of recipes for ideas. I also get to see what the contestants create and what the judges say.
Advantages aside, this is still going to be a fun ride.
For my first challenge, I used the potato, tomato and bacon to make chowder and oyster crackers. I’ve created something similar with sweet potatoes and corn, so I felt really good about this.
You juice the potatoes for the broth and use the pulp for the cracker dough. Because all things here are Zestuous, I added a little heat with an Anaheim pepper and some Dubliner cheese. If you can’t find Dubliner cheese, this would be just as delicious with Parmesan or dry aged white cheddar cheese.
I have no idea what the judges would think of this dish since I’m not on the show, but my husband enjoyed it. His only complaint was that I didn’t make more. That’s a win in my book.
Full episodes of MasterChef are available online 8 days after the show airs. Starting June 6, you can watch the real MasterChef Mystery Box Challenge 1 here.
Oyster Crackers
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup potato pulp, from above
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup aged Dubliner cheese, shredded
- 2 tbsp. butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 slices bacon
Instructions
- MIX: In a stand mixer or large bowl, combine all ingredients except the bacon grease. Stir with the mixer or your hands to form a dough.
- ROLL: Roll the dough on a floured surface until it is about 1/8-inch thick.
- CUT: Using a small circle cutter, cut out crackers and place onto a silpat-lined baking sheet.
- FRY: Cook 2 slices of bacon. Remove the bacon from the pan and serve alongside the soup as bacon bits. Brush the tops of the crackers with the bacon grease.
- BAKE: Bake in a 350-degree oven for 25 minutes.
- TOP: Sprinkle bacon bits and crackers atop soup and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tomato & Potato Bacon Chowder
Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon
- 1 Anaheim pepper
- 4 potatoes
- 3 tomatoes
- 1/4 cup aged Dubliner cheese, shredded
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. course ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
Instructions
- JUICE: Using a juicer, juice 3 potatoes to yield one cup of juice. Remove the pulp from the juicer and reserve 2/3 cup of pulp for the crackers. Juice 2 tomatoes to yield one cup juice.
- FRY: In a pot, brown 2 slices of bacon over medium heat. Chop the hot peppers and add ¼ cup to the bacon. Saute until tender.
- DICE: Dice 1 potato into 1/4-inch cubes. Add to a large pot and cook for about 5 minutes, until the potatoes are tender, but not too soft.
- BOIL: Add the potato and tomato juices to the soup pot along with the cheese. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.
- BOIL: Add the potato and tomato juices to the soup pot along with the cheese. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients for the ideal comfort meal
OYSTER CRACKERS
- Potato pulp. After juicing the potato, you’ll have potato pulp that makes the base of the oyster crackers.
- Flour. All purpose flour strikes again!
- Dubliner cheese. This Irish cheese has a sweet profile which goes well with the bacon, smoked paprika and garlic powder.
- Butter. Make sure the butter is softened for the best results.
- Kosher salt
- Smoked paprika. Adds a little color and flavor to the crackers.
- Garlic powder
- Bacon
TOMATO & POTATO BACON CHOWDER
- Bacon. Salt and fat, what else could you want?
- Anaheim pepper. With a sweet and smoky flavor, this pepper provides an amazing flavor to this creamy soup.
- Potatoes. You can use Yukon gold potatoes, baby potatoes, red potatoes, golden potatoes, russet potatoes…whatever potatoes your heart desires! Unless you’re on MasterChef, then you have to use what they give you.
- Tomatoes. You can use fresh or canned diced tomatoes here. Fire-roasted tomatoes would be amazing in this recipe.
- Dubliner cheese. I highly recommend shredding your own cheese for a truly creamy base.
- Kosher salt. A pinch of salt makes everything taste better.
- Black pepper. Go with coarse ground black pepper for this recipe, it adds a depth that the finely ground kind just can’t compete with.
- Garlic powder. Feel free to throw in some minced garlic cloves, too.
See the full recipe card for servings and a full list of ingredients.
How to make this traditional German recipe
Oyster Crackers
- Mix: In a stand mixer or large bowl, combine all ingredients except the bacon grease. Stir with the mixer or your hands to form a dough.
- Roll: Roll the dough on a floured surface until it is about 1/8-inch thick.
- Cut: Using a small circle cutter, cut out crackers and place them onto a silpat-lined baking sheet.
- Fry: Cook 2 slices of bacon. Remove the bacon from the pan and serve alongside the soup as bacon bits. Brush the tops of the crackers with the bacon grease.
- Bake: Bake in a 350-degree oven for 25 minutes.
- Top: Sprinkle bacon bits and crackers atop soup and serve.
TOMATO & POTATO BACON CHOWDER
- Juice: Using a juicer, juice 3 potatoes to yield one cup of juice. Remove the pulp from the juicer and reserve 2/3 cup of pulp for the crackers. Juice 2 tomatoes to yield one cup juice.
- Fry: In a pot, brown 2 slices of bacon over medium heat. Chop the hot peppers and add 1/4 cup to the bacon. Saute until tender.
✔️ PRO TIP
At this point, I chose to put the ingredients in a new pot because I was afraid there would be little black specs floating in the broth. I pictured the chefs ridiculing me right away.
- Dice: Dice 1 potato into 1/4-inch cubes. Add to a large pot and cook for about 5 minutes, until the potatoes are tender, but not too soft.
- Boil: Add the potato and tomato juices to the soup pot along with the cheese. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.
- Simmer: Remove the seeds from one tomato. Dice the outer portion. Add to pot with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Simmer until ready to serve.
How to serve a classic soup and crackers meal
Is there anything more comforting than a steaming bowl of freshly made soup? Not to mention homemade crackers! This is one of those great recipes that can be dressed up, down and all around depending on what’s in your pantry (or mystery box). Some additional items you can add to your soup is sweet corn, a little fresh thyme and some sauteed yellow onions.
For a creamier base, you could add a dash of heavy cream or dollop of cream cheese to melt with the Dubliner cheese, and if you like something a little heartier, you could use some chicken stock or vegetable broth to bulk up the base. For toppings you can’t go wrong with a sprinkle of cheese, chopped green onions and a spoonful of sour cream. Just thinking about scooping up this cheesy soup with a piece of crusty bread has my mouth watering.
Storage
I love soup recipes because you can easily double or even triple the recipe to make sure you have plenty on hand for busy weeknights. Using individual airtight containers, you can refrigerate this soup for up to three days or freeze for several months. Just pull out one of your individual servings and heat whenever you need a bowl of comfort.
Frequently Asked Questions
Soups and chowders are basically the same ingredients, it’s just about the texture of the final product. Soup tends to be a thinner, broth-based dish while chowder is typically thick and chunky. Both can be absolutely delicious and hearty though.
While this is easy to make on the stovetop, there is something magical about a crock pot full of soup at the end of the day. You can definitely throw this in your slow cooker before work or while doing chores and be rewarded with a delicious meal at the end of the day.
