LOADED POTATO SOUP

• This hearty and delicious loaded potato soup recipe is perfect for a cozy night in. With simple ingredients and easy instructions, anyone can make this comforting dish in no time.
• This soup is full of tender chunks of potatoes, sweet onions, crisp bacon, and chopped chives, all in a creamy, cheesy broth with a little sour cream. I love to serve this creamy soup with ham and cheese sliders or pigs in a blanket.
  Warm up on a chilly night with this delicious one-pot-loaded potato soup recipe. It’s easy to make and packed with comforting flavors like bacon, cheese, and herbs. This soup is a favorite in our house and a frequent request from my son. This is comfort food at its best.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED
Bacon: preferably smoked
Butter: salted or unsalted
Onion: sweet yellow is best
Garlic: fresh is always best
Seasonings: ground cayenne pepper, fresh chives, salt, and freshly ground black pepper
Chicken broth: low sodium or chicken stock
Milk: whole or 2%
Cheese: sharp cheddar, white cheddar, or smoked cheddar
Sour cream: full-fat

HOW TO MAKE LOADED POTATO SOUP
This is just the summary version of the recipe. See the recipe card below for ingredients and full directions.

Read more on next page

Brown the chopped bacon in a heavy pot. Transfer the bacon to a plate.
Add the potatoes and onions to the pot and cook until the onions are tender.
Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic and cayenne pepper, cooking for 1 minute. Transfer the vegetables to a plate.
Melt butter in the pot. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat.
Whisk in the milk and chicken broth in several increments. Add the cooked vegetables back to the pot and simmer until fork tender.
Stir in both shredded cheeses until melted. Stir in the bacon, sour cream, chives, and salt and pepper to taste.
Continued on next page
PREPARATION TIPS
Bacon is much easier to chop when partially frozen, so toss it in the freezer about an hour before preparing the soup.
Don’t add the bacon and sour cream until the end, as you want the bacon to stay crispy and the sour Cream not to curdle.
Top with chopped crispy bacon, sour cream, green onions, finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and chopped chives.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are the best potatoes to use in this soup?
The best potatoes for this soup are Russets. I always say don’t use Russet Potatoes in soup because they will start to break down. Well, there is an exception to every rule, and in this particular case, you want the potatoes to break down slightly into the soup, creating an ultra-creamy texture.

Why does my sour cream curdle when I add it to soup?
The heat causes the protein and the water in the sour cream to separate. It is best to warm the sour cream first. To warm the sour cream, take the soup off the heat and temper the sour cream by mixing small amounts of hot soup with it before adding it to the pot.