Pioneer Woman's Perfect Potato Soup

On Friday, I made Pioneer Woman's Potato Soup. While I've tried several potato soup recipes over the years, I think this one was one of my favorites. It's creamy, but not too thick.
Ingredients
6 slices thin bacon, cut Into 1-inch pieces
1 medium Onion, diced
3 carrots, scrubbed and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
6 small potatoes, peeled and diced
8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 T. flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 t. salt
black pepper- to taste
1/2 t. Cajun Spice Mix (I didn't have this, so I added a dash of red pepper flakes)
1 t. minced parsley
1 cup grated cheese

Add bacon pieces to pot over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pot and set it aside. Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the pot.

Return the pot to medium-high heat and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook for 2 minutes or so, then add the diced potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice.

Pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are starting to get tender. Whisk together the flour and the milk, then pour into the soup and allow the soup to cook for another 5 minutes.
Remove 2/3 the soup and blend in a blender/food process until completely smooth. Pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine.(I scooped out about 2/3 of the veggies in a large bowl and mashed with a spoon, then returned to pot). Let it heat back up as you taste for seasonings, adding more of what it needs. Stir in cream, then stir in parsley. I ended up adding a can of cream of onion soup, because the veggie taste was too strong, and I wanted it to be a little creamier. I thought the soup was then the perfect consistancy.
I topped with grated cheese and crisp bacon pieces, and served with grilled cheese sandwiches. We finished the soup the next day for lunch topped with oyster crackers.