Baked Potato Soup

I've been meaning to post this recipe for a while now. It is a perfect recipe for the cold winter months. This is a “man pleasin” kind of recipe. Bacon, potatoes and cheese. I don’t know of many men that wouldn't love this soup.

 I actually created this recipe with my Papa in mind. When we were kids the fanciest restaurant my mom and dad took us to was Tony Roma’s Steak House. Now I laugh about this but to a little girl it felt fancy. My dad absolutely loved the baked potato soup that they served there, so I set out to create a recipe that would make him proud.

The secret ingredient in this recipe is the shot of Tabasco sauce. It just gives the soup that extra little kick that takes it from good to AWESOME! Tabasco sauce can be found at Carrefour in the imported section or of course, at any of the other expat markets.

Ingredients:
½ cup butter melted
1 cup flour
200 g or about ½ lb of diced bacon (variation: can use Costco bacon instead, but I do cook it a little differently; see below)
1-2 tbsp oil
1 large onion diced
5-6 bay leaves
2 tbsp chicken boullion
6 cups water
3-4 large potatoes cut into ½ inch cubes
A few good dashes of Tabasco sauce
1 cup milk
½ cup heavy cream
1- 1 ½ tsp salt (taste to make sure you have just the right amount
Fresh ground pepper
Garnish with: bacon, shredded cheese and chopped Chinese chives

In an oven safe dish, combine melted butter and flour. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes until flour mixture is golden brown. Set aside.

*In a stockpot, sauté bacon over medium heat until tender and slightly crispy. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a serving bowl and set aside.

( *I used Costco precooked bacon which I bring over from the Statesin my suitcases in my soup, so I skipped this step, but I've included the instructions for using regular bacon)

Keep bacon drippings in pot (this imparts a lot of good flavor to the soup) and add onions and 2 tbsp extra oil if needed.

Add bay leaves. Sauté onions and bay leaves in oil and drippings until onions are tender and clear.

Add water, boullion, fresh ground pepper and potatoes and cook until potatoes are tender.

Add butter/flour mixture and stir until well combined.

Remove from heat and add milk and cream. Add a dash or two of Tabasco sauce.


Turn heat on low and bring soup temperature up to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with reserved bacon, chives and shredded cheese.

Enjoy!!