Loaded Potato Soup

If any dish can be thrifty and decadent at the same time, it is this loaded potato soup.  We like to serve this as a special treat whenever we have guests for lunch.  It is filling and rich and delicious without being too fancy for a simple lunch with good friends.

This is a very forgiving recipe.  I don't make it with the exact same proportions of ingredients every time, but I've probably made it a hundred times from memory and it always turns out de-lish!

Peel enough potatoes to fill your soup pot just over half way. (If I'm using nice new potatoes with nice skins I just wash the skins and keep them on)  If they are large potatoes, cut them in half.

Add enough chicken broth to cover all of the potatoes.  Sometimes I thin the broth out with some water if I don't have enough.  Simmer until potatoes are soft.

Meanwhile, cook six slices of bacon in a large pan. When cooked, remove bacon slices and add

• 2 onions, diced
• half a head of garlic, minced

Cook unions and garlic in the bacon drippings until fragrant and well coloured.  Crumble the bacon and set it aside for later.

Scrape onions and garlic into the pot of simmering potatoes and let them all simmer together until the potatoes are tender and mashable when you stab them with a fork.

When the potatoes are ready, puree your soup with a stick blender or a potato masher.

Remove from heat and stir in enough milk to make the soup your desired consistency, 1 or 2 cups depending on the potatoes you used and how thick you want it.  Sprinkle with a couple pinches of kosher salt and some fresh ground pepper to taste.

Serve with crumbled bacon, grated cheddar cheese, and sliced green onions.  It's also great topped with salsa and sour cream, if you have them (we didn't!).

Loaded Potato Soup

• lots of potatoes
• 4+ cups of chicken broth (or a combination of broth and water)
• 6 slices of bacon
• 2 onions, diced
• half a head of garlic, minced
• 1 to 2 cups of milk
• kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• desired toppings such as cheese, green onions, sour cream or salsa.

Peel and cut enough potatoes to fill your soup pot just over half way.  Add enough chicken broth to cover potatoes.  Simmer until soft.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a pan until crispy.  Remove bacon from pan and set aside to crumble and serve with finished soup.  Cook onions and garlic in bacon drippings until fragrant and well coloured.  Scrape into pot of simmering potatoes.

When potatoes are fork tender, remove from heat and puree with a stick blender or by hand with a potato masher.  Stir in enough milk to reach desired consistency. Sprinkle with a couple pinches of kosher salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Serve with desired toppings and enjoy!

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