Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 8 Russet potatoes, scrubbed cleaned and pierced with a fork all over
• 8 slice sbacon
• 6 tablespoon sbutter
• 1 yellow onionfinely chopped
• 4 clove sgarlicroughly chopped
• 1/3 cup sall purpose flour
• 4 cup schicken stock
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon sfreshly cracked black pepper
• 2 tablespoon solive oil
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Freshly shredded cheddar cheese
• Slice d scallions
• Sour Cream
• Bacon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the potatoes directly on the middle rack and bake for 60 minutes until fork tender.
2. Scoop the white insides out of the baked potato skins. Roughly chop the white insides and set them aside. Tear the potato skins and set aside.
3. In a large stock pot, cook the bacon over medium heat. Once it’s crispy, remove bacon from the pan and drain off the grease. Once bacon has cooled, tear into small pieces.
4. Add 4 tablespoons butter to stock pot.
5. Add onion and continue to cook over medium heat until onion is caramelized.
6. Add minced garlic and flour.
7. Stir until the flour is cooked, about 1 2 minutes.
8. While stirring, slowly add chicken stock to the flour mixture and whisk to combine to prevent lumps.
9. Bring to a simmer then turn heat to low.
10. Add the insides of the diced baked potato and season with sea salt and pepper.
11. Cover pot and continue to cook over low heat.
12. In a large saute pan add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add the torn potato skins and fry them until crisp and heated through.
13. Add ½ of the crumbled bacon, 1 cup of cheddar cheese, ½ cup of scallions and sour cream into the pot of soup. Stir well and continue to cook over low heat until heated through and cheese is melted.
14. Serve soup topped with remaining bacon, cheddar cheese, scallions and crisp potato skins on top.