This thick, rich, soup is one of their specialties, full of chopped baked potatoes, topped with bacon, green onions and shredded cheddar cheese. Don't think about the calories, think about the comfort you get while warming your belly.
Plan at least an hour for baking the potatoes (or better yet, make them the night before) and another hour to assemble the ingredients and let the flavors meld. This soup is thickened with flour, some half and half, and instant mashed potatoes. Garnish each bowl with the toppings.
3 medium potatoes (about 2 cups chopped)
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup diced white onion
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups instant mashed potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1 cup half and half
Garnish
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon
2 green onions, chopped (green part only)
Sour cream, optional
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake the potatoes or 1 hour or until done.
When potatoes have cooked remove them from the oven to cool.
As potatoes cool, prepare soup by melting butter in a large saucepan, and sauté onion until light brown.
Add the flour to the onions and stir to make a roux.
Add stock, water, cornstarch, mashed potatoes, and spices to the pot and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out contents with a large spoon. Discard skin.
Chop baked potato with a large knife to make chunks that are about 1/2-inch in size.
Add chopped baked potato and half-and-half to the saucepan, bring soup back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer the soup for another 15 minutes or until it is thick.
Spoon about 1 1/2 cups of soup into a bowl and top with about a tablespoon of shredded cheddar cheese, a half tablespoon of crumbled bacon and a teaspoon or so of chopped green onion.
For a special treat, add a dollop of sour cream!
