Lighter Loaded Potato Soup

January in Wisconsin. There’s not much to say about it, except for one word: cold. Now, I’m not going to complain, as I think WAY too many people complain about the weather here, and it’s pointless, as it always comes back around. How does one beat the cold? Why with soup of course! I found this recipe on Ezra Pound Cake. I made only a few, slight, changes, which are reflected below. Paired with some fresh bread, and maybe even a light salad, it’s a nice way to warm yourself up before heading back out into the cold.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ lbs. Red Skinned Potatoes, about 3 or 4 depending on size
  
• 2 tsp Olive Oil
  
• ½ cup Onion, chopped
  
• 1 ¼ cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
  
• 3 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
  
• 2 cups 1% Milk, divided
  
• ¼ cup Low-Fat Sour Cream
  
• ½ tsp Kosher Salt
  
• ½ tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground
  
• ¼ tsp Granulated Garlic
  
• ¼ tsp Celery Salt
  
• 1 Tbsp Chives, minced
  
• 3 slices Bacon, chopped
  
• 1/3 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
  
• 4 tsp Scallions, thinly sliced
  

Directions:

1. Scrub and dry the potatoes, and prick them all over with a fork. Place the potatoes on a plate, and microwave them on high for 13 minutes. The potatoes should be tender. Cut them in half, and set aside.
   
2. While the potatoes are cooking, sauté bacon in a saucepan over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Remove bacon drippings from pan.
   
3. Add the oil to the pan, and sauté onion for 3 minutes. Add broth.
   
4. In a small bowl, combine flour and ½ cup milk. Add the mixture to the pan with 1 ½ cups milk. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook for 1 minute.
   
5. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in sour cream, garlic, celery salt, salt and pepper. Set aside.
   
6. Peel skin off of potatoes. Roughly chop the cooked potatoes and add about 2/3 of the potato pieces to the saucepan and blend with a hand blender, or potato masher, until smooth. Add remaining potato pieces and stir to heat through.
   
7. Stir in chives, and taste to see if additional salt and pepper is necessary.
   
8. Garnish each serving of soup with cheese, green onions and crumbled bacon. Serve immediately.