Baked Potato Soup

It's definitely soup season. Not only is it the ultimate comfort food, but it is easy on the checkbook, too.

I got this from my favorite website for food.. allrecipes.com... and I loved it.

This is my version.

Baked Potato Soup

4-5 slices of bacon, sliced (I have to cook at least 6 slices as the Bacon Theif always eats about half of it before I can use it)
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons of flour
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups of chicken stock
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup of half and half or whole milk.
2 tbsp hot sauce

shredded sharp cheddar cheese and sliced green onions for garnish

Cook the bacon on medium-low until crispy. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Cook the onion and garlic in the bacon fat until the onions are translucent. Sprinkle with flour, basil, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Add chicken broth and potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Turn down the heat to low. Take a potato masher and squish the potatoes to give the soup a thicker consistency. Drizzle in the milk and hot sauce and serve with the garnishes.

*Note* You can use leftover baked potatoes for this soup. Just add them in with the milk instead of with the chicken stock. It'll give a smoother consistency.
If you like thicker soups, increase the flour to 4 tbsp. We prefer a thinner soup in our house.