Melt the butter in a 6-quart stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the bay leaf and garlic.

Add the stock and parsnips and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, until the parsnips are very soft, about 45 minutes. Remove soup from heat. Discard bay leaf.

Using a hand-held blender, puree soup until smooth. Stir in cream. Season with salt and pepper.

In a small sauté pan, over medium heat, render the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Fry the potatoes in bacon fat until crispy and brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer potatoes to paper towel lined plate when done. Season with salt.

To serve, ladle the soup into serving bowls. Garnish with the crispy potatoes, bacon and chives.