Penzey's Baked Potato Soup

A great soup for any leftover boiled potatoes. Found in Penzeys Christmas 2006 catalog. Hearty soup!

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 5  lbs russet baking potatoes
• 1⁄2 lb bacon
• 3  cups 2% low-fat milk
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 3  cups onions, minced
• 7 1⁄2 cups  chicken stock (or 1 TB of chicken soup base dissolved in 7 1/2 cups of)
•  water
• 3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon thyme
• 1  tablespoon parsley
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1  teaspoon salt (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Wash and dry potatoes, poke with a fork, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until soft.
3. Cool to room temperature by refrigerating for 1 hour.
4. Remove the skins and coarsely chop the potatoes; set aside.
5. Finely chop bacon and fry until crispy.
6. Drain the bacon on paper towels and set aside.
7. Let the milk come to room temperature.
8. Place 1 1/2 cups of chopped potatoes into blender.
9. Blend or mash with a little water to make potatoes thin, yet smooth and creamy.
10. In a large, heavy pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat.
11. Add the onions and cook until they are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
12. In a separate pan, heat the chicken broth to boiling.
13. Using a wooden spoon, gradually mix the flour into the onion mixture, slowly add the rest of the chicken broth to the onion mixture.
14. Next, add the potato puree. Mix well.
15. Lower the heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Stir often.
16. If soup is too thick, thin with more milk.
17. Add 3/4 of the crisp bacon and mix well.
18. Serve garnished with the remaining bacon, cheddar cheese, and chives.