[Baked] Potato Soup

Mrs. BA and I are big fans of the Baked Potato soup that we used to get at Houston's restaurant. (After a while, you could only get it at the Rockville location, where Tuesday is Baked Potato soup night). So what joy it was to find local Cheverly Chef Scott posting a great recipe for Potato Cheddar Soup. Enjoy!

Potato-Cheddar Soup

• 6 strips of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2lbs potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces (about five medium potatoes)
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 4 cloves of roasted garlic
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt & pepper to taste
  

1. Fry the bacon in a large pot until crispy and the fat has rendered out. Reserve bacon on a paper towel lined plate. Pour out all but one tablespoon of bacon fat.
2. Add the onions to the pot with the one tablespoon of bacon fat. Saute until tender and translucent. Add the fresh thyme, carrot and potatoes. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer, until the potatoes are fork tender. Prior to the next step, remove the stems of thyme.
3. Working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender. Add the roasted garlic to the first batch of soup to be pureed. Process until smooth. If you would like some texture to the soup, other than silky smooth, don't process until fully smooth, leave some bits and pieces of potato.
4. Return the pureed soup to the pot and add the cheese and cream. Stir until the cheese is melted and the cream is incorporated. If you wish to thin the soup out, add some additional broth or cream. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Serve hot and garnish with the cooked bacon and if you have them, some fresh snipped chives.
   

NOTE: If you wish to make this soup vegetarian, skip the bacon. Just cook the onions in olive oil. And instead of chicken broth, use vegetable broth. For some additional flavor you could add about 1/2 a cup of beer. Also, if you don't have a food processor or blender, you can make this soup more rustic by mashing the tender potatoes and vegetables with a potato masher. You will have a hearty, textured soup that is a little less creamy and maybe a little more brothy.