Baked Potato Soup {Foodie Friday}

If you are looking for something to warm you up, this is it. I never really had potato soup growing up, but DH's family makes it all sorts of ways. His mom makes it with some type of water base and noodles and his grandma makes it more like this. But everytime I made his grandma's recipe it turned out more like mashed potatos and soup. When I saw this recipe with potatos that were baked- not boiled, I knew this was the answer to my prayers. It was also a really big time saver, because I could make the potatos ahead of time and make the soup later. This is a big bonus for me, because usually when I get home it's almost 6 o'clock and getting dinner on the table fast is always a priority.This also saves really well.  I served the leftovers with a turkey panini that I toasted in our waffle iron. Delish.

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:
4-5 russet potatoes
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour, divided
6 cups 2% milk
2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup green onions, chopped
1/3-½ cup light sour cream

For topping:
Sour cream
Shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped green onions
Bacon pieces

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Prick the potatoes with the tines of a fork. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle. Scoop the insides of the potatoes into food processor, discarding the peels. Pulse until the pieces are broken into small chunks.

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt the butter. Add ¼ cup of flour to the pot and whisk into the butter. Cook, whisking constantly, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and the rest of the flour. Cook until thick and bubbling, about 6-8 minutes. Mix in the potato chunks. Whisk in the salt, pepper, and cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Remove from the heat, stir in the green onions and sour cream.

Serve immediately. Garnish with sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onions and bacon as desired.

Source: Annie's Eats adapted from For the Love of Cooking