Baked Potato Soup

 I know what you're thinking: This is winter food. In my defense there are three rainy days ahead and nothing says rainy day like soup!

Actually, I love soup any time but in the heat of summer. And we are not there yet.

The recipe:

I usually do this by feel but I paid attention this time to right down the specifics.

You will need:

6 medium baking potatoes

I finely chopped onion

4 cups Chicken stock

!/3 c flour

1/3 c oil or butter

2 c milk

1/3 lb bacon, diced

salt and pepper

green onion for garnish

You can bake the potatoes ahead of time, the night before even and then this will go really fast at dinner time.  You know how to bake potatoes right?

400'F for about an hour

In a large stock pot, cook the bacon until well done but not totally crisp.

Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper toweling.

Next you want to cook the onion until soft and translucent but not brown. Now, you could drain off the bacon fat and add oil to do this but if you want to use the bacon fat, I'm not looking...

When the onion are soft you will need to add a little more oil or butter, whatever your choice of fat to equal 1/3 of a cup. You need the same amount of fat as flour...

Add 1/3 c flour and whisk to combine. It will be dry and clumpy. Keep cooking and whisking until you cook out the flour taste, a few minutes.

Slowly add 2 cups of the broth, whisking until smooth.

Add the rest of the broth and the milk.

Stir often as you heat this to almost boiling or until thickened, this should happen at pretty much the same time. Then turn the heat down.

While this is heating, take a paring knife to your baked potatoes, cutting them in half. (You can also do this before you start the soup.)

 Then cut around inside of the skin of each half, removing the potato.

Cut up the scooped out potato into small chunks. Try not to break the skins as they can become baked potato skins later in the week. Make those and your family will love you forever. In fact, I think this is the main reason they ask for baked potato soup in my house, although they do love the soup!

Add these chunks of potatoes to the pot and heat a few minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

You can add the bacon back in at this point or use it as a garnish. We usually mix it in and garnish with green onion.

 Dinner is served.

Comments

[Lynne]

oh, I want that soup. Right now. For dinner.

[Vicki]

Oh my goodness, YUM! Potato soup is one of my favorites, but I've never made it with BAKED potatoes. Anxious to do that... and make those skins. ; )

[Paula]

Yum!!!

[might i add... ?]

That looks so delicious! I want some now. Well, I'm not really hungry now, and I'm almost ready for bed, but maybe tomorrow night! It's supposed to rain here, too. Stay cozy!