Potato and Bacon Soup

So my husband peeled a pot of potatoes for yesterdays dinner
except
someone else was doing the potatoes!
So this morning I was faced with A LOT
of potatoes to do something with.

After cooking and mashing some to make a shepherds pie
out of leftovers.

I suddenly remembered Staci's....

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

1 Tbsp. butter

1/4 cup chopped white onion

1 tbsp chopped garlic (from a jar is fine)

14 ounces chicken stock

1 cup plus 1/4 cup milk, cream, or some combination of the two (use cream! It makes it sooo yummy)

salt and pepper to taste (go heavy on pepper, it makes it!)

2-3 large baking potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

8 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

3 green onions, diced

1/4 cup sour cream

Directions;

Melt butter in small saucepan. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes, or until crisp but tender. Add broth, milk or cream, and about 2/3 of the chopped potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Slightly mush up the potatoes with the back of a spoon. Reduce the heat and simmer until potatoes are very tender.

Meanwhile, cook reserved potatoes in microwave until very tender.

Puree soup with an immersion blender, or puree in batches in a blender or food processor. Add in cooked potatoes, all but about 2-3 tbsp bacon, 3/4 cup cheese, and all bout 2 tbsp green onions.

Cook until cheese is melted. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper to taste, if necessary. Divide among serving bowls and top each serving with remaining bacon, cheese, green onions and a dollop of sour cream. Makes about 4 servings

So, I decided to play with the ingredients.

#2 In same dutch oven I started frying 1/2lb bacon with 1/4 cup water **do not overcook

#3 while bacon cooks use a small food processor to chop up 1 onion

#4 then to that add 1 cup shredded cheese, 1 tsp spice and 2 tablespoons of corn starch and set aside

#5 to the bacon add 1/4 cup butter

#6 then add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil, scrapping the bottom to get all the good stuff

#7 add half of your cooked potatoes to the pot now

#8 I used an immersion blender **but you can just mash at this point just remember to dice your bacon before

#9 add 1 1/2 cups of half and half

#10 keep blending!! and turn off heat

#11 add your cheese/onion/cornstarch mixture and stir

#12 add the rest of the cooked potatoes ** I left mine whole or mash them

By now you should have a FABULOUS soup ready for supper. I kept mine in a crock pot on warm to serve when John got up. 

"Bon Appetit!"