One of the few meals that please all six members of my house is “load your own” baked potatoes. It is a great comfort food that can be used as a side or a main dish. When I serve them as a meal I offer add ins like chili, broccoli & cheese, sour cream, bacon, shredded cheese and more… I also bake a few extra in order to make this hearty comfort food – Baked Potato Soup. The original recipe is a Kraft foods classic. When I make the soup, I don’t necessarily follow all of the ingredients or measurements, but rather adapt the soup to what I have on hand, and to taste… Here is the base recipe that I use: (I would post a link, but I cannot find it posted on their site anymore).

Bacon & Baked Potato Soup(Adapted from Kraftfoods.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup celery or green pepper, chopped
• 14 ounces chicken broth from can or home made
• 1 1/4 cups milk – I use half milk, half heavy cream (bring to room temperature)
• 3 – 4 baked potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 8 slices cooked crispy bacon, crumbled and divided
• 3/4 cup Cheddar Classic Melts cheese (or shredded)
• 2 tbsp green onion slices, divided (optional, I use only if I have them on hand)
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• Shredded Cheese for topping

Directions:

In large saucepan or dutch oven, saute onion and peppers with butter until the vegetables are tender, about 2 – 3 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer five minutes. Slightly crush some the potatoes with the back of a spoon (I use an immersion blender). Add milk and continue to simmer about five more minutes, stirring often. (Add 1 Tbsp cornstarch or flour if the soup is not thick enough for your taste). Reserve 2 Tbsp each of the bacon and cheese and 1 Tbsp green onion. Stir remaining bacon, cheese and onion into soup, stirring until cheese is melted. Serve immediately. Top with remaining cheese, bacon, onion and desired amount of sour cream.

Makes about 6 servings, 1 cup each.

Serve with fresh baked biscuits or bread-sticks. Goes great with a cold,  blustery day. Mmmm

*Note, I ususally double this recipe and adapt to our tastes. And if I feel like the kids haven’t had enough veggies for the day, I will throw in some broccoli or corn.