Yummy Peppery 'tater Soup

Potato soup is very comforting, easy to make and inexpensive too! It's easy to add your favorite 'toppings' to and you can throw it into a crockpot and let it cook all day. Bake your potatoes (Linda's Fantabulous Baked Potatoes) ahead of time and just keep them in the fridge until you make your soup. Hope you make this your own by adding what you like! This will serve about ten cuppa portions or 5 bowlfuls.

• Ready In: 5 hrs 20 mins
• Serves: 10
• Yields: 2 gallons

Ingredients

• 3⁄4 lb bacon, thick sliced and smoked

• SOUP

• 2  tablespoons butter, unsalted
• 6 -8  baked potatoes (see Linda's Fantabulous Baked Potatoes)
• 4  cups  chicken stock (low sodium)
• 4  cups  whole milk
• 1  cup scallion, sliced, white and light green parts only
• 8  ounces cream cheese, Philly of course, room temperature
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you like)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon white pepper (to taste)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)
•  salt

• OPTIONAL GARNISH

•  snipped chives
•  sour cream
•  grated cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Cook the bacon until crispy and drain well on paper towels. Crumble the bacon and set aside for garnish.
2. Add butter to crock pot and set it on low. (you can substitute some of the butter for bacon grease).
3. Scoop the potatoes (Recipe #280220) out of the skin getting all of the pulp and add to the crock pot.
4. Add the rest of the soup ingredients and cook on low heat for 6 - 8 hours.
5. To each bowlful of soup add your garnishes, top with crumbled bacon and enjoy!
6. ALTERNATELY:.
7. Use diced ham or Italian sausage instead of bacon. Mmmmm, sausage!