Baked Potato Soup

By jgroeneveld

Thick baked soup lots of potato and scallion flavor

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds baking potatoes
• 1/2 sliced abcon
• 2 tbsp unslated butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 4 cups 2% milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 cups grated white cheddar cheese
• 4 scallions thinly sliced
• 6 tsp sour cream

Preparation

Step 1

1. Heat overn to 400 degrees. Pierce potatoes with a fork and bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes until tender. Allow to cool slghtly. Scoop potato flesh into bowl and mash.
2. MEanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon and crumble; set aside. Reserve 2 tbsp of bacon fat.
3. In large pot, add butter and reserved bacon fat. Heat over medium heat. Add onion and cook 3 minutes; sprinkle flour over onion and cook 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk; stir in salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne. Add reserved mashed potatoes and bring to a simmer 10 minutes, stirring occassionally. Stir in 2 cups of the cheese, half the reserved bacon and half the scallions.
4. Heat broiler. Divide soup equally amoung 6 flame-proof onion soup crocks. Sprinkle remaining cup of cheese over tops of crocks. BRoil 4 inches from heat source for three minutes until cheese melts.
5. Garnish with 1 tsp sour cream and reamining bacon and scalliions.