Baked Potato Soup

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 6 -8 ounces sliced bacon, fried crisp & crumbled (6-8 slices, reserve small amount for garnish)
• 1 cup yellow onion, diced
• 4 large potatoes, baked and cooled (do not microwave)
• 2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 6 cups hot chicken broth or 6 cups hot milk
• 2 cups sour cream or 2 cups half-and-half
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper sauce or 1 1/2 teaspoons tabasco sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (reserve 1/2 cup for garnish)
• 1/4 cup scallion, chopped (separate & green part)

Recipe

• 1 cook and crumble bacon, saving drippings in pan.
• 2 cut potatoes in half, scoop out center.
• 3 chop half of the peel, discard the rest.
• 4 cook yellow onion in bacon drippings about 3 minutes.
• 5 add flour, stirring to prevent lumps, cook 3-5 min until mixture just begins to turn golden.
• 6 gradually add 2 cups chicken stock, or hot milk, whisking to prevent lumps, until mixture thickens.
• 7 pour into large sauce pan & add remaining hot liquid.
• 8 reduce heat to simmer, whisk in potatoes, peels, sour cream, chopped bacon, parsley, garlic powder, basil, salt & pepper (to taste).
• 9 add cheddar cheese & part scallions, heat until cheese melts thoroughly.
• 10 top with chopped bacon, green part scallions, and cheese.