Baked Potato Soup

David and I devoured this tonight!

All the great flavors of this....

source

...in a warm and yummy bowl of soup!
Sorry, Sara....I would like to say this is a healthy recipe to go along with your roasted cauliflower, but I don't think it is! :) Although David and I decided that any recipe that includes the phrase "reserve the bacon fat" is going to be a tasty one!

This is another great recipe from Iowa Girl Eats... I feel like I'm getting all my recipes on this blog these days, but they're all so good! Haven't had a bad one yet... If you're looking for a comforting and flavorful soup, give this a try!


Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients:
4 large baking potatoes
5 slices bacon
1/2 cup butter
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
1. Scrub and prick potatoes with a fork then bake until soft in a 400 degree oven for 1 1/2-2 hours. Remove from oven and let cool. Let cool, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out potato pulp. Set aside and discard skins.*
2. Cook bacon in a large soup pot until crisp. Remove bacon, drain, then crumble – reserving bacon fat in pot.
3. Turn the heat down to low, melt butter in bacon fat, then add onion to the pot. Saute for 4-5 minutes until soft. Stir in flour until well combined, then cook for several minutes, but do not let it brown. Slowly whisk in milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, crumbled bacon and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Stir and cook until cheese has melted, then stir in sour cream. Add extra milk, if necessary, until desired thickness is reached.
4. To serve, ladle into bowls or bread bowls and top with remaining cheddar cheese, extra crumbled bacon, sour cream or green onions!

*I microwaved the potatoes instead -- worked just fine and was a lot faster! Scrub potatoes and then prick with fork in several places. Place on paper towel. Microwave 3-5 minutes, turning over halfway through. (Add 3 minutes or so for each additional potato.) When potatoes are soft to the touch, put in aluminum foil and let stand 5 minutes. Remove, let cool a little while, then peel the skins and cube the potato pulp.

I didn't make the Corny Cornbread as a side, but I was tempted to give it a try!