From Katie's Kitchen: Baked Potato Soup

I am away from my kitchen for a long weekend "back home". I sit typing the introduction to this post in my dad's cushy, leather recliner. No laundry to fold, no dishes to wash and put away. What's for dinner? I don't know. I'll leave that up to the lady who taught me to read my first recipe. Good old mom. This afternoon, instead of thinking about what I need to defrost or chop for dinner, I'll be heading to the spa for a massage while someone else watches my children. Yes, life is good!

I can't leave all of you cooks and meal planners hanging, so my cousin-in-law (that's right, my cousin's wife),Katie, has generously offered to handle dinner this evening. She's the mother of 3 beautiful children and a fellow blogger. You can check out the adventures of her family at This Crazy Life. In addition to being a great mommy and blogger, it looks like she's a pretty darn good cook too. Just check out this Baked Potato Soup! Yummy!



Here's the line up: Potatoes, milk, butter, flour, cheese, bacon, sour cream, and green onions.


First clean, peel, cube, and boil the potatoes. I like to use Yukon gold but whatever you have on hand will do.


Start cooking the bacon. I always do mine in the microwave because it is easier and you have less of a mess on your stovetop. My mom always said one minute per strip of bacon. That seems to work well for me, but it probably depends on your microwave.




While you are waiting on the potatoes and the bacon, chop the green onions and set them aside.


When the potatoes are about halfway done melt the butter in a large soup kettle ( or the biggest pot you have).


Stir in the flour until smooth. Gradually add the milk and stir it constantly until it is thick. The recipe says to cool the potatoes, but I always drain them and add them straight to the soup. It never made sense to me to cool the potatoes just to heat them up again. Add the onions. You may want to reserve a few for garnish. Bring the soup to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.


Don't forget about the bacon. You probably need to put another batch in the microwave by now. Start crumbling whatever bacon is done.


After the potatoes and onions are done simmering, add the remaining ingredients. Again, reserve a few for garnish if you like that sort of thing. Stir until the cheese is all melted and then...


...serve!



Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:

2/3 c. butter

2/3 c. flour

7 c. milk

4 large baking potatoes (peeled, cubed, boiled, and cooled) or 4 cups

4 green onions

12 strips bacon (cooked and crumbled)

1 1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 (8 oz.) c. sour cream

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp. white pepper

First clean, peel, cube, and boil the potatoes. I like to use Yukon gold but whatever you have on hand will do. Start cooking the bacon. I always do mine in the microwave because it is easier and you have less of a mess on your stovetop. My mom always said one minute per strip of bacon and that seems to work well for me, but it probably depends on your microwave. While you are waiting on the potatoes and the bacon chop the green onions and set them aside. When the potatoes are about halfway done melt the butter in a large soup kettle ( or the biggest pot you have). Stir in the flour until smooth. Gradually add the milk and stir it constantly until it is thick. Now I know the recipe says to cool the potatoes, but I always drain them and add them straight to the soup. It never made sense to me to cool the potatoes just to heat them up again. Add the onions. You may want to reserve a few for garnish. Bring the soup to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Don't forget about the bacon. You probably need to put another batch in the microwave by now. Start crumbling whatever bacon is done. After the potatoes and onions are done simmering add the remaining ingredients. Again, reserve a few for garnish if you like that sort of thing. Stir until the cheese is all melted and then serve!


*Side note. If you have picky eaters in your house like Krista and I do you may want to try a variation. Besides being picky, my kiddos don't like a lot of meat so this is what I do.

When the potatoes have been drained and put into the soup kettle, save the pot you cooked them in and put it back on the stove. Before adding the onions, ladle out some of the soup and put it back in the original potato pot. Then follow the rest of the directions accordingly omitting the onions and bacon. In general, they don't notice the sour cream and they like the potatoes and the cheese. That way I only make one meal but have a kid friendly version of it!

Thanks, Katie!