Baked Potato Soup

By trf0ster

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked and diced bacon crumbles
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 8 cups milk (whole milk, if possible)
• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 large bunch green onions, diced
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 5 large potatoes, baked and cubed
• 3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 clove garlic (optional)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Details

Adapted from thekitchn.com

Preparation

Step 1

If you are using sliced bacon you'll need to start by preparing it. You can save the grease and reduce the amount of butter accordingly for a richer taste. Storebought bacon crumbles will also do just fine (Costco carries a large bag that comes in handy!).

Melt the butter in the bottom of a large pot over medium high heat. Add flour and stir to combine until thickened. Add milk and whisk to combine until mixture is smooth. Add remaining ingredients and allow soup to heat over medium, stirring occasionally until cheese is melted. You will want to keep an eye on the bottom of the pot so it doesn't burn, but since all the ingredients are already cooked, you're really just waiting for things to warm up instead of coming to a specific temperature.

Serve when warm and enjoy!

Additional notes:
• On using sliced bacon: You can of course start by using sliced bacon and can even hold onto the rendered fat, substituting it for part of the butter called for in the soup recipe. Just reduce your butter accordingly and add it right in!
• On pre-baking your potatoes: Since this recipe uses potatoes that are already baked, you might want to toss a few in the oven the night before to bake them off ahead of time. We peel ours, halve them and put a long slice of butter in the middle. Wrap them in aluminum foil tightly and bake at 400°F for 2 hours or until soft (depending on the size of your potato). Baked, they'll keep in the fridge for a week (easily), so dinner can be ready to go any night of the week!