Appetizer: Baked Potato Soup

Appetizer: Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients

4 - 5 baking potatoes
2 cups water
1 quart milk
One half cup celery
One quarter cup butter
One half cup sour cream
One third cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
One third cup green onion, chopped
2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley or dill, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place potatoes in the oven and cook for about 1 hour at 350 degrees. Meanwhile heat water in a large saucepan and add chopped celery to the water and simmer until celery is tender. When potatoes are fully cooked, slice down the center and scoop out pulp of each potato and add to celery and water. Add milk, butter, sour cream, bacon, green onions, 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, parsley or dill and salt and pepper. Allow mixture to simmer over low-medium heat until it thickens. Serve hot with cheddar cheese sprinkled on top. You may also add chives (from the top of the green onions), bacon pieces and sour cream. When I made this recipe last time, I chopped up the potato peels and added them to the soup. The skins added flavor and texture and you may want to try this. I also understand that most of the vitamins and minerals are in the skin of the potato.

The Skinny: Use low fat milk, light sour cream and fat cheese.