Hi guys, I'm Laura Vitale and on this episode
of Laura in the Kitchen, I want to share with you my loaded potato soup. I have been getting requests to make this
soup for so long! And I don't know why I never did, but it is
to die for and it is so incredibly easy, if you love a loaded baked potato, this is the
soup version! And I mean, it's cold outside - I would eat
this, and I have eaten this in the middle of July, so I have no excuses.. The point is, it's really, really good, it's
really comforting, a little goes a long way and everyone loves it! I have yet to meet a person that doesn't love
it because it's just that rich and bacon-y and potato-y and really delightful. Now, the ingredients you'll need are few and
basics, you're going to start off with some potatoes, I have some Yukon gold that I diced
into about a half inch or so pieces, I've got some bacon chopped, onion, butter, flour,
I've got some chicken stock, some milk and you are going to need a few additional ingredients
which we will get to in just a little bit. But for now, let's get started, shall we!? I've got a big soup pot that I'm going to
preheat over about medium heat, now I need to cook up my bacon first, you can do - you
can cook your bacon in the oven first, and then crumble it, I just find it easy to do
it all in one pot, and the pot's not super hot yet but don't worry, once it starts to
sizzle, it gets really hot, the bacon will start to render it's fat, it'll start to get
really nice and crispy, and once it's nice and crispy, I'm going to get it out of here
using a wooden spoon - a slotted spoon, and I'll show you what it looks like when it's
there! Bacon's nice and crispy, I'm just getting
it out of the pan - out of my big pot using this slotted spoon, now, normally - see I'm
like fishing in here because I'm too short - ha! Normally, I'd say use some of the leftover
bacon fat to make your rue or to make your onions in. I don't want to do that because I find that
if you do that, then the bacon flavor just starts to be a little bit overpowering so
what I do is I get rid of the bacon fat, you can keep it in the fridge, it solidifies,
and you can keep it to roast potatoes, in which case all will be well with the world
and you'll be forever grateful because it is amazing!But for today, I am just going
to get this out into the dirty bowl - put it in the dirty bowl. And now, in that same pot, there's a little
bit of fat in there, maybe a teaspoon or so but not much. I am going to add my butter and because I
- it looks like a lot of butter but remember, this is a rich soup, a little goes a long
way and I want to saute my onions in butter and then I also need the butter to make a
rue, so kill two birds with one stone. I'm going to saute my onions in my butter
until my onions become nice and translucent and it will take about I'd say, two to three
minutes, maybe four minutes, just keep an eye on it. These are looking good! I'm going to add my flour, now this is what's
going to help thicken - the potatoes will help thicken the soup as well, but you need
to make a rue in order for, you know in order for the soup to be really thick and creamy
and just gorgeous and you just cook it for about a minute, i want to make sure that you
don't see any raw flour anywhere and this is perfect. Give it a few more seconds, it gets rid of
any of that raw flour taste. It smells so good already because I can smell
the bacon and the onions and the butter cooking together is like a match made in food heaven. At this point I am going to add in my chicken
stock which as you know, I use my little stock base or whatever it's called. I'm going to get a good spoonful of that. And make sure you always use a low sodium,
because you want to be able to control as much of the salt as possible. And then you're also going to add in some
whole milk. Now, a lot of people make - there are so many
different variations of this soup, really, there's no one way of making it, but for me,
this is my preferred concoction, I'd suppose. And now, to this, I am going to add my potatoes. Once everything comes to a simmer, you want
everything to simmer together for about fifteen minutes, the potatoes should be tender but
they should retain their texture, just a little bit and their shape, otherwise it just kind
of like - they disintegrate into nothing. So let that simmer, let that come up to a
gentle bubble, and then let it simmer on medium for about fifteen minutes, or until the potatoes
are about tender. My soup has been simmering for about twenty
five minutes, it took a little bit longer because my potatoes were a little bit bigger
than, than they should be - but all is good with the world! My potatoes are tender but they still retained
their shape and some of their texture, at this point I have tasted this for seasoning
and I do think it needs quite a bit of seasoning - at least, definitely a lot of pepper because
I love black pepper with any potato. And then a good pinch of salt. Not too much because we are going to be adding
the cheese in. Give that a stir, just to stir it in, smells
phenomenal! And now I'm going to add in the sour cream. Now, you - there are so many ways you can
do this, you can omit the sour cream and just add it on top if you want to, I think it adds
a richness you cannot replace. I'm going to add my bacon back in, whatever
is left over from me picking at it. And then this is optional, you can serve it
on top or right in the soup, I like to do it right in because I just love the flavor
of some green onions. And then some sharp cheddar that I have grated,
you want a good cup and a half or so, I'm going to reserve a little bit for the top
but I want a good cup and a half right into the soup and this is what's going to give
you so much incredible richness, and then just kind of stir this in and you want to
just simmer this for about five minutes or until the cheese is fully melted, and you
don't want this to boil you just want to simmer it slowly just to melt the cheese and to kind
of heat up the sour cream and now look at that texture it is just phenomenal. Just going to let this go for a few minutes
and then we are ready to serve this baby. Look at that, that just looks phenomenal. Okay, turning off the heat and I'm going to
ladle some. I am like - I'm standing and waiting! That is just gorgeous, look at that beautiful
texture, the bacon, the potatoes, you can still see that they've got good shape and
then I just need a, just a little bit more cheese, just a little bit more cheese.. just
a little bit! Sprinkle that on top, sprinkle some more green
onions on top, extra bacon, sour cream, whatever your heart desires, and then I just kind of
like to do that so that it can start to melt, and then as I eat it, it pulls a little bit.. Mmm! Okay, I'm going to give this a go, but I'm
just going to need a minute because it is hot. Oh my word! It is just so delectable, so rich, so fabulous,
it is like a baked potato with all the fixings in soup form. I can't even tell you how good this is. Mmm! Hot! Really hot! Hold on. It is good enough to bring you to tears because
you are eating it scorching hot. And that to me is a good sign! I hope that you try this, I hope that you
love it and I hope that if you have been requesting this for a long time, then this is exactly
what you are looking for. LauraintheKitchen.com will have the recipe
written for you, all ready for you to take it, go to the grocery store, get your ingredients,
make it and I- you'll you will thank me. You will love this! I promise! I will put my name on it! Hope you've enjoyed spending time with me
and I will see you next time, bye bye!
If you preffer to print the recipe, Go Here
Ingredients:
How to make it
1) In a large dutch oven or soup pot, cook the bacon until it becomes nice and crispy, about 4 minutes.
Remove to a paper towel lined plate using a slotted spoon and set aside.
2) Discard any fat that the bacon rendered and add the butter and onion and saute until the onion
becomes translucent and develops a bit of color, about 4 to 5 minutes.
3) Add the flour and stir constantly for 1 minute, add the milk, stock and potatoes and bring to
a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
4) Add the sour cream, cooked bacon and cheese and stir everything together and cook for 5 more minutes.
5) Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve.
When you’re ready to serve, sprinkle some chopped green onions over the top with a little extra sprinkle of cheese.