A few weeks ago I had the creamiest baked potato soup for lunch. I went home the next day and recreated it, and my version may have been even creamier.
Yes, I know this makes another bacon-filled post this week. I can’t help it — bacon and I have a complicated love affair. If you don’t eat bacon, no worries: it’s optional in this soup. But it does add a delicious finishing touch.
For this batch I added some bacon after the soup was finished: half stirred into the pot and half reserved for garnish.
The baked potatoes (I used Yukon Golds and left the skins on) give the soup a naturally thick, velvety texture while still leaving a few soft potato chunks for contrast. It’s comforting, rich, and addictive — the kind of soup my mom has always loved, and now I do too.
There’s also cheese — smoked cheddar — which gives the soup a wonderful savory depth. I don’t make soup all that often because I lack patience while it simmers. While it cooks, I tend to snack and sip wine, though no wine goes into this recipe (just into the cook).
The finished soup is incredibly creamy but still has tender pieces of potato throughout. The combination of butter, roux, cream, milk and a bit of chicken stock creates a luscious base. I sprinkled in grated smoked cheddar and stirred until smooth, then added crumbled bacon and green onions for flavor and texture.
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Yield:
6
1 hr
Ingredients
-
6 to 8
large Yukon Gold potatoes,
baked with skin on and chopped -
2
tablespoons
butter -
2
tablespoons
flour -
1
cup
heavy cream -
2
cups
milk -
1/2
cup
chicken stock -
1
cup
grated smoked cheddar cheese -
2
green onions,
chopped -
4
slices
bacon,
fried and crumbled (optional)
Instructions
-
Bake the potatoes ahead of time — leftover baked potatoes work great. Chop them with the skin on.
-
Heat a large pot over medium-low. Melt the butter, then whisk in the flour to make a roux and cook until slightly golden and fragrant. Gradually whisk in the heavy cream, milk and chicken stock, stirring until the mixture thickens.
-
Add the chopped potatoes and reduce heat to low. Stir in the grated smoked cheddar a little at a time, ensuring it melts evenly and doesn’t stick to the bottom. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring often. If the soup becomes too thick, add more chicken stock to reach desired consistency. Stir in two slices of crumbled bacon and half the green onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
-
Serve hot, garnished with the remaining crumbled bacon and green onions.
Soup
American
I went back for seconds, thirds and fourths — the soup was that good. I ate most of it before anyone else could, and I can’t say I regret it.
[photos by sarah fennel]