loaded baked potato soup

you know what pairs well with a foot of snow?  a nice, warm bowl of soup.

the other day when we got tons of snow and were cooped up inside, i found this recipe in a magazine and whipped up this yummy, filling soup.

if you like rich, creamy potato soup, try making this sometime soon.  it will definitely hit the spot.

• ingredients -

2 1/2 lbs potatoes
1/2 lb sliced bacon
2 tbsp butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp flour
4 cups 2% milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
scallions, thinly sliced
sour cream

• directions -

pierce potatoes and bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes.  allow to cool slightly and scoop potato into a bowl and mash.

meanwhile, cook bacon until crisp.  crumble and set aside.  reserve 2 tbsp of bacon fat.

in a large pot, add butter and reserved bacon fat and heat over medium heat.  add onion and cook 3 minutes; sprinkle flour over onion and cook 1 minute.  gradually whisk in milk, stir in salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne.  add reserved mashed potatoes and bring to a simmer.  reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  stir in 2 cups of the cheese, half of the bacon, and half of the scallions.

top with sour cream, remaining bacon, and scallions.

* unfortunately i didn't have any scallions and i think i left out a pretty flavorful ingredient. be sure to have some on hand!