Country Baked Potato Soup
This is real comfort food, not diet food! The flavors of the creamy sauce with the baked potatoes are married together so well that it's hard to put down. I prefer to put the crumbled bacon and cheese on top of the soup because it adds another layer of flavor, but if you like yours combined, it may be done that way also.
This is real comfort food, not diet food! The flavors of the creamy sauce with the baked potatoes are married together so well that it's hard to put down. I prefer to put the crumbled bacon and cheese on top of the soup because it adds another layer of flavor, but if you like yours combined, it may be done that way also.
- Carbohydrate 35.6334870000988 g
- Cholesterol 81.9905333333334 mg
- Fat 34.0511893333364 g
- Fiber 2.49412993093926 g
- Protein 13.6815166666816 g
- Saturated Fat 18.2562128333343 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (284g)
- Sodium 542.752300000007 mg
- Sugar 33.1393570691595 g
- Trans Fat 2.83420433333347 g
- Calories 497 calories
Step-by-step
- Bake potato's at 350 degrees for 65-75 minutes or until tender; cool completely.
- Peel and cube potato's into 1" cubes.
- You want it to be chunky, but some will break up.
- In a large Dutch Oven, melt butter; stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth.
- Gradually add milk.
- Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
- If you want it thicker, mash a few potato's against the side of the pot and stir, and it will thicken right up.
- Remove from heat; whisk in sour cream.
- Add potato's and green onions.
- Place back on stove and heat to serving temperature over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Ladle into bowl and garnish with bacon and cheese, and get ready to say WOW!.
Using raw or hastily boiled tubers instead of properly baked russets remains the single biggest error in making potato soup. Historically rooted in rural American traditions where residual oven heat from baking bread was utilized to cook vegetables, authentic potato soup relies on the mealy texture of baked potatoes. Russet potatoes contain a high starch content and low moisture level, yielding a fluffy interior that absorbs dairy cleanly when cubed and folded into a velouté base. Boiling potatoes directly in liquid releases too much free starch into the broth, creating a gummy paste rather than a velvety potage.
Building the Roux and Dairy Base
Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-low heat to prevent scorching the milk solids. Whisk all-purpose flour directly into the melted fat, cooking the mixture for one to two minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste before introducing liquids. Pour cold milk into the warm roux in a slow, steady stream while whisking vigorously to prevent lumps from forming. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly for exactly two minutes until starches gelatinize and the sauce thickens adequately. Remove the pot from direct heat before whisking in the sour cream, as high heat causes dairy proteins to curdle and separate.
- If the soup appears too thin, mash a portion of the cubed potatoes against the side of the Dutch oven to release additional starches naturally.
- Maintain medium heat when reheating the finished soup to prevent the milk and butter emulsion from breaking.
- Cool baked potatoes completely before peeling and cutting into one-inch cubes to ensure they hold their shape during simmering.
