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Baked Potato Soup Recipe

Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

  • 4 LBs of russet potatoes about 6 to 8 medium sized potatoes
  • 1 LB of thick cut bacon
  • 1 Large onion
  • 4 Ribs of celery
  • 4 Tbsp of heavy cream often called whipping cream at the store
  • 1 ½ Quart of chicken stock
  • Fresh chives
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Salt & pepper

Instructions

  • Bake & scoop out the insides of your potatoes: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash and clean your potatoes, and puncture some holes into each one by stabbing them with a fork. I tend to do this six times on each potato. It is very important to do this step because as the potatoes bake in your oven their water will heat up and turn to steam, which will burst the potatoes if you don’t provide a few holes for the steam to escape. Place the potatoes in the heated oven and let them bake for 45 minutes or an hour. You will know that the potatoes are done when you squeeze them and they give a little on the inside. Once they are cooked take the potatoes out cut them in half, and let them cool off for about 10 to 15 minutes. Once they are cooled, take a spoon and scoop out the inside of the potatoes and reserve them in a bowl.
  • *If you are tight on time you can always do this step a day or two ahead of time.*
  • Cut and cook the bacon: get out a large 6-quart pot to cook the bacon, and eventually the soup in. While you can cook the bacon whole, I have found that it is not only easier to cook, but also turn out much better if you cut the bacon into small pieces first. The way I cut my bacon is to first cut it in half widthwise. Then I cut Those two pieces in half lengthwise. And finally, I stack all four pieces on top of each other and cut them into ½ inch square pieces. Put your pot over medium heat and add the whole pound of bacon, and stir them every minute or so.  Allow the bacon to slowly cook, until it begins to fry itself in its own fat.  I know not the healthiest sounding method for cooking bacon, but hey bacon is a treat, so it’s best to do it right.  After the fat in the bacon has changed its color from white to a deep gold you will know that the bacon is ready.  Take the bacon pieces out with a slotted spoon and place them on some paper towels to get rid of their excess grease. Reserve these pieces for garnishing your soup.
  • Cook the celery and onion: Discard all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease from your pot. Return the pot to the stove and put your burner to medium-high heat. Add the celery and onion, and cook them for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onions begin to turn translucent.
  • Add the chicken stock and potatoes: Once the onions are translucent, add the 1 ½ quarts of chicken stock to the pot, along with the scooped inside of the potatoes you reserved from step 1. Stir this mixture really quick, and allow the soup to come to a simmer. Let it simmer uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Blend the soup, and add the heavy cream: After 20 to 30 minutes take the soup off the heat and blend it up. There are two ways in which you can blend the soup. The first is with a traditional stand-up blender. If you decide to use this type of blender I would suggest that you do it in batches, as blending up to large of a volume at a time can cause a serious mess. The second option is the use of an immersion blender. An immersion blender is definitely the better option as it allows you to blend all of the soup up at once and inside the pot. Whichever option you choose, just make sure to blend up the soup well so that it completely smooth. Put the soup in the pot back on the stove over low heat, and add the heavy cream, mixing it in well.
  • Ladle, Garnish & Serve: Ladle some of the hot soup into a bowl, and garnish with a sprinkle of, the cooked bacon, some shredded cheddar cheese, and some minced fresh chives.