Creamy Baked Potato Soup

Winter is almost over, but just as it is digging in it's heals here in New York, so are my taste buds. Soon I will be ready for grilled chicken and veggies and marinated steaks on the grill, but for today, there is snow outside and I want soup.

This yummy creamy baked potato soup has taken me a few tries to get right. It is garlicy, creamy, cheesy and yummy. (Sorry Kelly, for all the food words, but it is just THAT good.) There are many variations, and you can do it to your taste, but this is my favorite. It is also very forgiving, so if you don't have something on this list, just substitute it with something similar. It's hard to mess this up.

6 medium sized yukon gold potatoes
1 onion, chopped
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups chicken stock or broth
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
6 slices well done bacon, crumbled

Wash the potatoes and prick them each a few times with a fork. Bake the potatoes at 450 for 15 minutes and set aside to cool slightly so that you can handle them. Once they are warm, cut them in half, peel away the skin (Use a knife for any stubborn pieces) and cube.

Meanwhile, cook 6 slices of bacon. Make them well done so they crumble easily. Set aside to cool. When cool, pop them in a ziplock and crumble.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Once it is melted add in two spoonfuls of the bacon grease. Saute the onion until soft, add the garlic and saute for another few minutes. add the cubed potatoes and the chicken stock and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender. At this point I add the salt and pepper, taste and see if you need to add any other spices. I like a few dashes of hot sauce and some garlic powder in mine.

In a pyrex measuring cup, mix the milk, buttermilk and flour.

Pour the milk mixture into the soup and simmer until thickened (be sure you reach a full boil for a few minutes so the flour will reach it's thickening potential and be fully cooked)

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Some people like it chunky, you can remove some potatoes with a slotted spoon before this step, cube them smaller and put them back in after. I like it silky smooth.

Add the cheese, simmer and stir till melted. Add the bacon. Stir.

Enjoy!