loaded potato soup ~

Welcome to a fun recipe blog hop ~ the Ultimate Recipe Challenge ~ using one of my favorite ingredients ~ potatoes! I’m sharing my Loaded Potato Soup ~ basically your favorite loaded baked potato in a soup bowl. My Grandmother Nellie {of Sweet Potato Pie fame} always said, “If you’re out of potatoes, you’re out of food!” and we believe that to this day in my family. Bluwatermom will run out of milk and bread before she runs out of potatoes! 

I’m sharing my recipe, along with recipe ideas from so many other talented bloggers. I know you will find some great ideas to try out. This is one of my favorite soup recipes, and LOADED with flavor. You can take some shortcuts ~ skip the onions, use pre-cooked bacon, and simply blend by hand with a potato masher ~ but I hope you’ll try it at least once with all the bell and whistles. It takes a bit over an hour and it is sooooooo worth the effort!

loaded potato soup ~
ingredients ~ 6 to 8 portions

4 medium idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small yellow onion, diced
6-8 strips of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch strips cross-ways
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons bacon grease
1 cup milk
2 cups cheddar cheese, finely grated
32 ounces chicken stock or broth
fresh or dried minced chives for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

cooking instructions ~

1 ~ wash potatoes, peel, cut into cubes and place into 5 qt. stockpot or dutch oven – cover with cold water
2 ~ bring potatoes and cold water to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a low boil, and cook until fork tender, 20~25 minutes
3 ~ remove from heat, drain into bowl, and reserve starchy cooking water {use to thicken soup, if needed}
4 ~ reserve roughly 1/3 of cooked potatoes and set aside

5 ~ cut bacon cross-ways into half-inch strips, and fry on medium heat until crisp, remove and drain on paper towels, crumble when cooled ~ reserve bacon grease and set aside {be careful ~ it’s HOT!}
6 ~ reuse the bacon pan ~ add diced onion and sauté in 2 teaspoons of reserved bacon grease until soft, but not caramelized, and set aside 
7 ~ reuse stockpot or dutch oven from potato cooking ~ add 3 tablespoons of bacon grease and three tablespoons flour and wisk to form a roux ~ cook slowly, wisking continuously until slightly browned ~ 2 to 3 minutes
8 ~ add milk to slightly browned roux and wisk to remove lumps 
9 ~ continue wisking gently, allowing to thicken ~ roughly 2 minutes
10 ~ add half of the grated cheese (1 cup) and wisk to melt and combine – should be smooth and free of lumps

11 ~ add chicken stock to cheese and roux mixture, and wisk to combine
12 ~ add reserved sautéed onion and stir to combine
13 ~ add 2/3 of cooked potatoes ~ reserve 1/3  {you can use 1/4 to 1/3 cup of starchy reserved liquid to thicken soup if needed at this point ~ but soup will likely be thick enough already}
14 ~ purée or blend until smooth {an immersion blender or a regular blender will do the job}
15 ~ add reserved cooked potato and 2/3 of the crumbled bacon and stir to combine {reserve remaining bacon for garnish}

Label into soup bowls and garnish with reserved bacon, cheese and minced chives!! Enjoy ~~~