posted by bill 05-15-100 10:10 PM
Bill’s Baked Potato Soup
4 large russet type potatoes, scrubbed well
4 - 6 strips bacon, reserve drippings
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced carrot
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh parsley or 2 tbl. dried
1 cup raw shredded potato
1/2 cup flour
5 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock or water
1 to 2 cups milk
1 to 2 tbl. Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
dash Tabasco, celery salt, garlic powder, and Worcestershire
1/2 cup sour cream, or more to taste
diced green onion and shredded old cheddar cheese for garnish
Bake potatoes witout foil in a 350 defrees oven for about an our, or until soft to the squeeze. Cut in half to cool to the touch then scoop out the potato innards and mash really well.
Cook bacon, in soup pot, until done and maybe a little crispy. Dice. Set bacon bits aside but save the bacon fat.
In bacon grease, cook celery, carrot, and onion about 5 minutes. Add garlic, parsley and sredded raw potato. Make sure it all kind of looks done, onions transparent, celery also and carrots softer than when they started. Toss well with the grated potatoes to make sure they are mixed in.
Over veggie mixture, sprinkle flour. Stir to coat veggies, cook for about 3 minutes. Add chicken stock or veggie stock or water. Keep stirring. This will thicken, may need a bit more stock or water. Cook for about 10 – 15 more minutes, watching that it doesn’t stick and still stirring.
Add baked potato mashed pulp. Blend and stir well. Add milk, whisk and taste. Add Parmesan cheese for body. Add salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
At this point, add a shake or two of Tabasco (hot sauce), shakes of celery salt, shakes of garlic powder, dashes of Worcestershire. Keep checking the salt level, may not need any but it may need some.
Before serving, stir in sour cream, and diced cooked bacon. Sprinkle soup with diced green onion and grated old cheddar at the presentation point.
Note: The left over potato skins can be chopped and sprinkled over the soup as well.