Baked Potato Soup

Do you get the hankerin for some stick to your bones soup when it’s cold outside? I sure do. Last night it was snowing like crazy and I was starting to stress about what to have for dinner. I’ve had 4 giant baker potatoes sitting on the counter for a few days now and they were calling to me last night, but I wasn’t in the mood for Chicken and Baked Potatoes or Pork and Baked Potatoes I wanted something creamy and warm. So I asked my Assisticant (Jordan likes to be called that) what she thought of Baked Potato Soup. She jumped right up from her nest of pillows and blankets on the couch and said “Can I help you make that”? Heck ya – let’s do it. So while Dad was picking up Connor from Karate we busted out some awesome Baked Potato soup! It really was awesome. Hope you like it.

Baked Potato Soup

4 large baker potatoes
2/3 c butter
2/3 c flour
7 c milk
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 c sour cream
6 slices bacon, rough chopped, cooked and drained
3 green onions, sliced
salt & pepper to taste

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake the potatoes for 1 hour. When cool enough to handle, peel and dice the cooked potato. Discard skins (or munch on them like my Assiticant and I did). Cook your bacon now and let it drain on paper towels while you do the rest. Resist eating it – or just sneak a bite when no one’s looking.
2) Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Gradually add the flour and whisk. Don’t let the rue brown.
3) Gradually add the milk to the flour mixture and whisk whisk whisk. Once this mixture begins to bubble and get thick lower the heat to simmer and toss in the cheddar cheese, potatoes, sour cream, green onions and bacon. Season to your taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Serves 8

p.s. – it really tastes like a baked potato with all the fixin’s. Yum!

p.s.s. – you can make this with fat free milk and lowfat or fat free sour cream too!