Ingredients: • 2 1/2 lbs. baking potatoes (OR 3 cups coarsely mashed potatoes, about 4 russets, or 8 Yukon gold—see recipe notes for a timesaving tip)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups 2% milk
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 cups reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or more, to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or more, to taste)
• 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
Toppings:
• 1/2 cup green onions (scallions,) thinly sliced
• 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Scrub the potatoes, pierce the skins several time, and place them directly on the oven rack. Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until easily pierced with a fork. Transfer the baked potatoes to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Carefully peel the potatoes, and discard the skins. Coarsely mash the potatoes with the butter in a medium bowl; set aside.
Pour the milk and chicken stock into a large Dutch oven. Whisk the flour into the liquids, until smooth. Cook the milk mixture over medium heat until it becomes thick and bubbly, stirring constantly. (Between 6 to 8 minutes.)
Add the mashed potatoes, 1C. of the cheese, salt, and pepper to the pot, stirring until the cheese is completely melted. Whisk the sour cream into the soup, stirring until heated through. Taste the soup and adjust seasonings, if required.
Ladle the soup into serving bowls, and garnish with scallions, more cheese, and bacon crumbles.
Recipe Notes: To make Loaded Baked Potato Soup gluten free, substitute 1/4 cup gluten free cornstarch for the all-purpose flour. Proceed as directed in the recipe text. To make the soup in half of the time, instead of baking the potatoes, peel them, cut into 2 inch cubes, and boil them in a stock pot of water for 10 minutes, or until soft. Drain the potatoes well, and then mash with butter according to the recipe.
Recipe by Kirsten of Comfortably Domestic
Published on Milk Means More – United Dairy Industry of Michigan (http://www.milkmeansmore.org)
This article was printed in the December 27, 2015 – January 9, 2016 edition.
