Loaded Potato Soup – Comfort Food in a Bowl

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I absolutely love potatoes. They are a blank canvas that is just asking for so many wonderful flavors to enhance them.  That’s probably why loaded baked potatoes are so popular – bacon, cheese, sour cream, and chives – what’s not to love?!  With the cold and snowy weather we’ve been having lately, as well as that 10lbs of potatoes I’ve been talking about for a few weeks, I decided it was time to turn my favorite loaded baked potato into a Loaded Potato Soup!  This soup is rich and creamy and just screams comfort food.  The only thing needed to round out this meal is some crusty bread for dipping.

Loaded Potato Soup

1 lb of bacon – chopped into small pieces
1 onion – chopped fine, about 3/4 of a cup
2 cloves of garlic – minced
8 russet potatoes (about 2-3 lbs) – peeled & diced
1 quart of chicken stock + a little to make sure potatoes are covered
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp chives

Toppings – shredded cheese, more bacon, sour cream, chives, green onion

Heat your heavy bottom dutch oven over medium-high heat.  When a drop of water dances across the bottom of your pan, add the bacon.  By waiting until the pan is this hot, you will not need to add any additional oil to get the bacon rendering.  Stir the bacon frequently to render out all of the fat, and cook it until crisp.

Once your bacon is crisp, use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon.  Leave 1/4 cup of bacon drippings in the pan.  Lower the heat, and cook your onions and garlic until translucent, about 5-7 minutes.  You don’t want to caramelize the onions, so keep an eye on them.  Add the flour, and make a roux.  This will help to thicken your soup.

Next, add your stock, whisking it in so the flour doesn’t clump.  Then, add your potatoes.  If your potatoes are still uncovered after adding a quart of stock, add more stock or water until they are covered.  Add a heavy pinch of salt and some pepper.  Cook until your potatoes are fork tender.

Using a hand-held potato masher, you want to mash some of the potatoes in the soup.  This will allow that starch in the potatoes to thicken the broth.

Add the cream and chives, simmer for another 5 minutes.  Just before serving, stir in all of the reserved bacon.

Top each bowl with your favorite baked potato toppings!

Please note, this soup reheats beautifully from the fridge, but it does not freeze well.