Test Kitchen: Gluten-Free Sauðamaðr Soup

.....Drumroll....and here's what I did with the leftover potato innards from my experiment the night before.  We're going with the whole Viking theme, so the name is in Old Norse, but it is my version of Shepherd's Pie Soup.  You'll probably notice that it shares some ingredients in common with my regular Shepherd's Pie.  NO ACCIDENT!

Sauðamaðr Soup

3 pounds beef
2 tbsp minced garlic
14 cups beef stock
10 extra bouillon cubes
1 cup red cooking wine (didn't like the wine flavor, you might consider leaving it out)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp thyme
5 tsp seasoned salt
2 tsp pepper
Innards of 20 potatoes, or approximately 8 regular potatoes
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp rice flour for thickening (or gluten-free flour of your choice)
2/3 cup parsley
1 tsp celery seed

Topping:
Gluten free toasted bread slices
Sliced extra sharp cheddar cheese


Okay.  I cooked the beef with the minced garlic, then drained the grease out.  I added everything but the flour and let it simmer approximately 25 minutes, then added some of the liquid from the soup to the flour to blend it, and then returned it to the pot to thicken the soup.  Once the soup was done, I used my ceramic bowls and poured servings for everyone in the house.  I placed a slice of toasted gluten-free bread on top of the soup (floating on the surface), then placed two slices of cheese on top of that.  I put the tray in the oven on broil long enough to make the cheese bubble, like on French onion soup.  Everyone loved the concept and most of the flavors, but the red wine was not a hit.  I plan to try a variant of this recipe again this weekend, and post both pictures and results to see if eliminating that element will help with flavor.  I tried to retain the beef flavor with the added bouillon cubes, but the wine was a bit overpowering, so taking out the wine may change everything quite a bit.  We'll see...