It’s Monday and you know what that means – Soup’s on! It’s easy to forget in the warmer months how much I love soup, but these past few weeks and rekindled a love affair too deep for a few warm days to make is disappear. It was a beautiful 70something degrees today but tomorrow calls for rain and I’m betting a bowl of this soup is really going to hit the spot.
Now, as far as soups go, potato soup didn’t jump out at me as one I had to make, but it was one my boyfriend swore he loved. and you all know what we do for our better halfs. 
I like my soups packed with flavor and textures. Even as I taste tested this a few times, I wasn’t in love with it. I bumped up the flavors a bit by adding shredded horseradish cheese instead of just cheddar and sour cream instead of heavy cream. With a little smoked sea salt and pepper, this soup become pretty good.
Loaded Potato Soup
from Slow Cooker Revolution
Ingredients:
- 8 oz bacon, chopped
- 1 onion, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 teas minced fresh thyme
- 2 tbs flour
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 3 lbs russet potatoes (about 6 medium, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping*
- 1/2 cup heavy cream*
- salt and pepper
- scallions sliced thin for serving
Preparation:
Cook bacon in a 12″ non stick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towel lined plate to drain. Reserve 2 tbs of bacon fat in the skillet. Cover bacon and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Add onions, garlic, and thyme to fat in skillet and cook over medium high heat about 8 – 10 minutes, or until onion is softened and lightly browned. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in one cup of the chicken broth, scraping up and browned bits as needed; transfer to slow coker.
Stir remaining 3 cups broth and potatoes into slow cooker. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender, 4-6 hours on low.
Transfer 2 cups cooked potatoes to a bowl and mash until smooth with potato masher (alternatively, whip out the immersion blender and go to town). Stir in cheddar and mix until evenly melted. Stir in cream and mashed potatoes. Let soup heath through.
Reheat the bacon. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with bacon, extra cheese, and scallions.
* I added shredded horseradish cheese and sour cream instead of just cheddar and heavy cream.
Bacon Scones
from BHG.com
Ingredients:
• 3/4 cup dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tbs baking powder
• 1 teas dried basil, crushed
• 1 teas dried oregano, crushed
• 1/4 teas garlic salt
• 3/4 cup butter, cut up
• 8 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tbs milk
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Crisp-cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Place sun dried tomatoes in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand 5 minutes, drain well, chop and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, basil, oregano, and garlic salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chopped bacon and tomatoes. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, eggs, and milk. Pour into the center of the flour mixture and stir with a fork until just combined. Don’t over mix!
On a lightly floured surface, turn out the dough and knead 10 to 12 times until the dough comes together. Divide in two and form each half into a 7″ circle. Divide into 8 wedges.
Place wedges 2″ apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bacon. Bake an additional 7 to 8 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned. Serve warm.
The winners of last weeks Muir Glen giveaway were Kari M, Shari, Frances Tran, Sarah, and Lynde. All winners have been contacted via email.
My name is Kita. I am a 20 something girl geek and website/graphic designer who can rock an apron like there is no tomorrow.
With the weather finally turning, these soups are spot on!!
A soup and scone combo that is sure to please any man and woman! Right on!
This is my kind of meal! YUM!
I might make this today!
Definitely the kind of soup that goes well with a chilly, rainy day! How exactly did adding sour cream as opposed to heavy cream affect the flavor of the recipe? Just made it a little more…tart, I suppose? Did it have any discernible affect on the texture? Probably not, I suppose, with it only being a half cup. What do you think about plain greek yogurt as a third option (thought I’m not sure why I’d be trying to make this “healthy”…I mean, it’s a potato and bacon soup for pete’s sake)? O, the questions!
Oh there was no attempt to make it healthy.
I know better. But I felt it needed some spicing up. I think sour cream just has more of a kick then cream. Did nothing to the texture, because really 1/4 cup to everything else in there isn’t much. I don’t normally have plain yogurt on hand or I may have tried it.
Bacon scones! Girl, you have done it with those. Perfect accompaniment to potato soup too. I’m sold on this one!
I have a love affair with soup (even in the summertime) so I’m definitely bookmarking this to make ASAP! I’ve finally dusted off the slow cooker so I totally need to take advantage of that!
I’m not usually a fan of scones but you make me want them badly with this soup!
So first I was freaking out about the soup. Then I scrolled down and saw the scones. Do you have any idea what this is doing to my pregnany belly right now?! BABY wants a bite!!
Deeee-licious. potato soup is one of my new favorites.
What is it about men and potato soup? BF loves it over here too and hates it when I go all fancy and add things like leeks or peppers to it. There’s a cool breeze blowing through my window now and I’m thinking soup this week toO!
I am drooling all over my shirt…wow…yum! Hello Fall/Winter!
Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful! We added our crusty bread sandwiches to accompany the soup! Omgosh wonderful!