Idaho Baked Potato Soup with Bacon

Did you miss me? Did you notice I was gone? No? Well that’s good I suppose. My computer kicked the bucket for the last time and refused to be rebuilt again. Jesse had had enough of my computer abuse, and replaced my laptop with a Mac-top hoping it will be stronger than my super destructive computer Karma.

So far the Mac has the best of me. I’m still trying to get around Steve Job’s left handed world. Oh, and my image calibration tool doesn’t work here, but that’s fine, it didn’t work on my last jalopy. You're probably used to funny colored pictures by now anyway!

This soup recipe is from a postcard I bought a few years back, it isn’t “health food” by any means, but it’s so rich and comforting that I don’t care.

I didn’t have a lot of time, so I scrubbed the potatoes, pierced them all over with a fork, and microwaved them. I think this soup works great with the skins on the potatoes as well as off. I'll leave that up to you to decide.

Ingredients
2/3 cup butter or margarine
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups milk
4 large baking potatoes, baked, peeled an cubed (about 4 cups)
4 green onions, sliced (Or one diced and sautéed onion)
12 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 ¼ cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
¾ teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
½ teaspoon pepper, plus more for seasoning
Garlic powder
Onion powder

Instructions

In a large soup kettle or Dutch oven, melt the butter. Stir in flour; heat and stir until smooth. Gradually add milk, stirring until thickened. Add milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Add potatoes and onions, Bring to a boil; stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; stir until cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder and serve immediately.

Serves 8 to 10

Recipe from an Idaho postcard. Picture by Laura Flowers.