Aunt LoLo’s Baked Potato Soup

So, there I was. I had thrown five potatoes into the oven a few nights before to roast…and the kids simply couldn’t wait for the potatoes to finish before they ate their dinner. And so the five potatoes sat. And waited. And yearned for their turn on the dinner table.

 

Finally, I’d had enough of staring at those potatoes. They were going to be dinner, and they were going to be delicious.

 

And they were.

 

(Inspired by Better Homes and Gardens, “Baked Potato Soup”)

Ingredients:

5 baked potatoes

2 cups grated cheddar

2 Tbsp. snipped green onions

3 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

6 cups skim milk

6 sausages, diced and sautéed (I used cheddar bratwurst, and they worked really well in this soup)

Frozen peas (to taste. I added 1/3 of a small package, because that’s what was in the freezer! More would be better – they add a pretty green to the soup, a nice pop, and a touch of sweet)

Sour cream, to garnish

 

1. Scoop flesh from baked potatoes. Discard skins.

 

2. In a large soup pot, melt the butter, then add your flour, salt and pepper. Stir to make a roux, then add your milk all at once. Stir to combine, and do your best to break up all of the clumps of flour.  Add the green onions.

 

3. Cook the milk/flour mixture for 12-15 minutes, or until bubbly. (The recipe I was referencing said to cook until thick and bubbly. I never saw that happen. What DID happen was that the milk scalded, and smelled heavenly.) Stir this mixture often! The flour will want to burn and stick to the bottom, and that is not good eats.

 

4. Add your baked potato flesh, broken into small chunks, the cheddar cheese and your sausage. (If you’ve just cooked it, be sure to add in the rendered oil as well. Because it’s tasty, and I say so.) Cook, stirring often, until everything is heated through and starting to meld together. Break out the immersion blender and give it a few good pulses if you are into that sort of thing. 

 

5. Finally, add your frozen peas, turn off the heat and round up some bowls and spoons.

 

Even my picky four year old loved this one!