This soup is comfort food at its finest.....this is THE baked potato soup where all others are judged by.....this is THE one!!! Seriously though.....I've been making this soup for more years than I've got fingers and toes.....and yes.....it's that good! Without much further ado.....I give you.....
Baked Potato Soup
adapted from Anne Fleetwood
Printable Recipe
You'll Need
- 4 large baking potatoes
- 11 tablespoons butter
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups milk (whole is the best)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 green onions, chopped and divided
- 1 pound bacon, cooked, crumbled, and divided (see NOTE)
- 1-1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream
- Heaping tablespoon chicken bouillon (optional)
Cook your bacon till nice and crispy. Remove from pan, and drain on a paper towel. Set aside.
Wash the potatoes, and prick the skin several times with a fork. Bake at 400 degrees for 1-1/4 hours -or- until done. Set aside to cool.
Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, and scoop out the pulp into a large bowl. Mash the pulp until you've gotten all the big lumps out. Set aside. Discard the skins. You can eliminate the whole step of scooping out the pulp from the potatoes if you use a ricer. With a ricer, you put skin and all in and squeeze. Skin separates from the pulp, and the pulp comes out light and fluffy.
In a large, heavy pot, melt the butter over low heat.
Once melted, add the flour, and stir constantly until smooth, for 1 minute.
Turn the heat up to medium, and slowly add the milk, while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the mixture is thickened and bubbly.
To the pot, add the potato pulp, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons green onions, 1/2 cup of the bacon, and 1 cup of the cheese. Blend well.
Continue cooking until thoroughly heated through. Stir in the sour cream till well incorporated. If desired, add extra milk for optimum thickness. Add a heaping tablespoon of chicken bouillon for extra flavoring; this is optional.
Serve the soup with the remaining green onion, bacon, and cheese.
NOTE:
I like to use a scissors to cut the bacon into small pieces before cooking. This method eliminates crumbling the hot bacon.
Serves 6-8 -or- 4 healthy portions
