Loaded Baked Potato

Matthew and I were sitting around the office trying to decide on a soup to make.  I was in one of those moods where every recipe that Matthew suggested sounded completely unappealing. And everything I recommended had ingredients in it that he didn't like (specifically vegetables).  After much debate and recipes being shot down, we landed on Loaded Baked Potato Soup.  As we were going over the ingredients, it called for cheddar cheese. Matthew being the picky eater that he is, wanted to substitute the cheddar with Gouda - one of his favorites. I on the other hand wanted cheddar. So we threw down the gauntlet and the competition began.  Cheddar vs. Gouda.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound bacon
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 onion
6 large baked potatoes
2 cups whole milk
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups shredded Cheddar or Gouda cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Sour Cream (optional)

   

Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake potatoes in oven for 30 - 45 minutes, or until you can easily pierce it with a knife.

While the potatoes are baking in the oven, slice the strips of bacon into 1/2 inch pieces. Cook the bacon in a stock pot over medium to medium high heat until the fat has rendered out and it is brown and crispy. 

Remove the stock pot from the heat and scoop out bacon with a slotted spoon. Cool the bacon on a plate lined with paper towels to remove excess grease. (Once the bacon has cooled down feel free to munch on a few pieces. I know I did!) Reserve 3 tablespoons of bacon grease in pot. 

While the bacon is cooking, peel and dice 1/2 an onion. Cook the onion in the reserved bacon drippings and cook over medium heat until translucent. 

Once the onions are translucent, whisk in 3-4 tablespoons of all purpose flour. Cook the flour and onion mixture for about 1 minute. This crucial step is the difference between thick/creamy soup and thin/runny soup. The flour is the thickening agent; the more you use the thicker it is. It is also important to note that if you do not cook the flour down for that minute, your soup will taste like raw flour. And let's be honest, no one wants that!

Once the flour has cooked down for about a minute, slowly whisk in the 2 cups of milk. 

You will want to continually whisk the onion and milk mixture at this point for about 2 minutes or until it thickens enough to coat the end of a spoon. Once it coats the end of a wooden spoon, stir in the chicken broth and turn the heat down to medium/medium low and bring it to a slow simmer.

While soup is slowly warming and simmering, peel and quarter the baked potatoes and place them in a large bowl. 

Depending on whether you like your potato soup smooth, chunky, or somewhere in-between, mash the potatoes accordingly. If you are having trouble mashing them, add a little milk to help the process. Once you have mashed them to your desired consistency, add the potatoes to the soup. 

Now the fun part begins! If you can agree on the type of cheese you like in your loaded baked potato soup, you will stir it in at this point. Since Matthew and I were at odds between Cheddar vs Gouda, we each stirred our cheese into our soup in our individual bowls to taste.

Garnish the soup with bacon, sour cream, and extra cheese. 

'Till next time,
Caroline