Kelly Rossiter
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On January 1 of this year I started off my Soup of the Week series with a potato soup. It seemed like a pretty good idea, because potatoes are easy to get any time of the year, they are economical and nutritious. In addition to that, they are pretty delicious. I toyed with the idea of making this the last soup recipe of the year as a kind of book end, but honestly, I couldn't wait that long to share it.
The soup was easy, had a fantastic flavor, and was a meal in itself. Baking the potatoes gives the soup an entirely different taste from the standard potato soup. You heap traditional baked potato toppings on as a garnish and it really does taste like a baked potato in soup form. I made a few changes in the recipe because of what I had on hand. I had a lot of 10% cream and chicken stock, so I used about one cup of cream and three cups of stock to three large potatoes. You could also use vegetable stock. I also had some leeks from the farmers' market, so I used those rather than green onions, which I think probably gives it a more mellow taste.
This would make a great meal after an afternoon skiing or tobogganing. The list of toppings is just a suggestion. You could use chilies as well. Put the toppings out on the table and let everyone dress their soup the way they like it. Adding the bacon really is gilding the lily, but I admit that we did it. When we had leftovers for lunch the next day we just ate the soup plain, without the garnishes and it was still fantastic.
Baked Potato Soup
4-5 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2/3 cup all purpose flour
6 cups of 2% reduced fat milk
3/4 cup reduced fat extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pierce the potatoes with a fork; bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash. Discard skins.
- Lightly spoon the flour in a large Dutch oven; gradually add the milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, cheese, salt and pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Turn the heat to low. Stir in the sour cream and the green onions. Cook for 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated—DO NOT BOIL.
Toppings:
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
Green onions, chopped
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Sour cream with chives
From the website For the Love of Cooking.
Difficulty Level: Easy
Related Posts:
Make a Winter Soup of the Week with Summer Ingredients
Soup of the Week: Red Lentils and Lemon
Soup of the Week: Creamy Pumpkin
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