Wheat free Cream/Dairy free almost loaded potato soup in Tales from the kitchen witch

Ok this is subjective and doing it as a challenge. Z at work cant have dairy and loves potato soup. 

So i modified my recipe to be dairy free.

Gold Potatoes ( as much as you want, I do 5 lb bags usually) 

Seasonings of choice ( I use bay, garlic, salt, pepper, seasoning salt, onion, and a few mixes like mrs dash from the cupboard) 

Veggies of choice ( roughly totaling 3 cups) ( I add carrots, bokchoy, celery, turnip, ) 

Bacon (16 oz)  ( cut into bits, fried, AND save some grease... Yeah T says im crazy too) 

Chicken stock to taste. I use better then  bouillon  .

Boil your potatoes with just enough water to cover till they are soft but NOT super soft. Set half a aside. Do not drain the water. With the remaining potatoes mash them in the water. If they dont mash well in the water, remove them and mash using some water to thin them out. 

Into your pot, put your veggies and spices. bring to a simmer to soften ( just enough water to cover, do not do a ton of water here! 

Statue your bacon while veg is simmering. Set on a paper towel to drain grease. Add a few tablespoons ( roughly half) of the grease into your veggies. Set bacon aside. 

When veggies are softened close to eating happiness. Add your mashed potatoes into the pot and stir to thicken. At this stage you CAN make a cornstarch/water slurry to thicken if your mash dosent do the trick! 

Add your reserved potatoes back into the pot once the mash is evenly distributed. 

Try not to eat your bacon. 

Taste taste taste. Adjust and add seasonings as needed. I needed about 3 more heaping tablespoons of bouillon at this point.  Add water if you have too much filling and not enough liquids. BUT this will thin the soup and reduce your flavor profile. 
When your taste is just right, Turn off the burner. 

Sprinkle with bacon and green onions and serve.

Its a challenge for me because I usually put in cream to thicken, and make gravy with chicken stock and flour or gravy mix. Then top with cheese and sour cream. So I was working hard to make this a meal that more people can enjoy. Its all about the flavor! And blending mashed potatoes into the soup, thickens it up amazingly and tastes good!