Loaded Baked Potato Soup

I made a chicken bone broth the day before and with that, this became dinner.  My idea was to make a cheesy potato soup and then dress it up like a baked potato.  It was a good day for this, brrrr chilly evening and comfort food (a.k.a carb coma) seemed right.  Ahem, it was the night before my return to work as well, after a wonderful 3 weeks off... 😒

• 10 slices of nitrate free bacon, cooked and broken into pieces, bacon fat reserved
• 4 small Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 large Russet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 cup old cheddar cheese, grated for garnish
• 1 container (230 g) MacLaren’s Imperial Cold Pack Cheddar

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 sweet Mayan onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 2 cups of 2% milk
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup of 0% fat plain Greek yogurt
• Fresh chives, snipped finely for garnish
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• Fresh cracked pepper, to taste

I put some thought into how I would make this soup, how I would put it together.  As always, mise en place first.

I decided I would first boil the potatoes in the chicken broth until totally tender.

Meanwhile, I put the bacon on parchment paper on a sheet pan and baked it in the oven till crispy.  350°F for about 25 minutes, flipping once.  

I put the bacon drippings in a dutch oven and sauteed the onion and garlic until soft and cooked through - very important as there wasn't a long simmer time on this soup.

I did this over med-low heat and wasn't worried if they browned a little since cheese was going in and white color wasn't necessary for the finished product.  I whisked in the flour and then added the broth, milk and potatoes.  I mashed the potatoes till slightly chunky.  I continued to stir until thickened over medium heat and it came to a boil. I lowered the heat to a minimal simmer.  I added the green onions, half the bacon, cheese wheel, cayenne and yogurt.  

I covered and stirred this occasionally until completely hot, but not boiling.

I seasoned with pepper and served, garnishing with cheese, bacon and chives.

OMG, this was DECADENT...what a good choice using the MacLaren's cheese.  My son said it was amazing... I served him a big bowl and he went back for seconds.  I warned him he will gain 5 lbs because of that but he said it was worth it.  I will admit it is one of the best soups I have created to date.  Tasted just like a loaded baked tater but so much more as a soup.  Sharp from that cheese, tangy from the yogurt, rich, thick, creamy dreamy and bacon needs no words...  It was a perfect way to end vacation.