Loaded Baked Potato Soup for a Rainy Fall Day

Nothing fills the heart, soul and belly like a good bowl of soup on a crisp autumn day! This soup is no exception. I borrowed heavily from a Cook's Country recipe but halved it and added some personal touches, including the beer, which is optional but does add good flavor.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup (Serves 4)

4 ounces bacon, chopped

1 small onion 

2 garlic cloves, pressed through garlic press

1 TBS flour

2 cups chicken broth 

3/4 cup brown ale (I used local beer Jekyll Cooter Brown Ale)

3/4 cup light cream

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes (about 2 1/2 potatoes), peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes

2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1 scallion or chives sliced thin for topping

In a Dutch Oven cook the bacon on medium heat until crispy. This will take about 8 minutes but keep an eye on them. Sop up bacon grease as needed (I use paper towel and tongs - be careful though, it's HOT) but be sure to leave about 2 TBS of bacon grease in the pot. Remove with a slotted spoon or a spider and place on a paper towel-lined plate. 

Add onion to the pot and saute until golden on medium heat. About 6 minutes. Add the garlic and flour and stir in until flour is incorporated. Cook, while stirring, for about a minute to make sure the flour is cooked.

#lazydog #snoring

Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, beer, and light cream. Add the thyme and potatoes and bring to a boil (high heat). Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 8-10 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.

Remove 1 or so cups of cubed potatoes and place in a bowl for a chunkier soup or leave in for a smooth, silky soup. Remove the thyme sprig. Puree the remaining soup until smooth - either in a blender or using an immersion blender.

Warm the soup back up if it has cooled, remove from heat and whisk cheese in until melted. Whisk sour cream until incorporated. Add potatoes back in if you reserved. 

Season to taste. This is one of the most important steps. Taste the soup. Salt, pepper. Taste again. Need more? Season and taste until it tastes right. In this case - you really only need salt and pepper since that is what you'd put on a baked potato. But don't skip this step.

Serve topped with bacon, sour cream, scallions or chives, cheese...what you'd top your potato with. 

This is a rich and filling and delicious soup. Would go well with some wings (hot or otherwise) or a salad to lighten it up a little. It's also good on its own.

Note: you can fry up some potato skins in the bacon grease before you add the onion at the very beginning of the recipe and use it as garnish - I found that it didn't give much reward so opted out of it.