Baked potato soup

So, at one point in the past there was a potato soup that someone loved. It was served to him at a restaurant. It was thin with just the hint of potato and a ton of cheese. He doesn't remember any other flavorings and has been looking for me to make this recipe (of a food I've never eaten) for a while now. It is, sad to say, one of many such requests.

I found a nice potato soup and tried it out on Sunday night. It was fairly easy to make, and quite tasty but the milk got the better of me and I shan't make it again.

The original recipe is here: Baked Poato soup from Cooking light.

The first time I tried to make the molk and flour mixture, it burned. The pot sits still in the sink, scrubbed and waiting to be saved from the black scars that mar its shiny bottom.

New pot, second attempt. Now I was paranoid. I whisked the flour and the milk together over a low heat, keeping the milk in a rathful foam for the duration until it just barely started to shimmer. It magically thickened as I thrashed it mightly; refusing to let the flour settle and burn (again). I covered it only reluctantly, and even then only until I heard it pop a single bubble. Far less time I'm sure than the recipe called for. Then I wisked the cover off and thrashed it mightly again, even tipping the pot to make sure my over-used wisk got into the corners.

I added the roughly mashed potatoes (there were chunks, I'm not afraid to admit it), cheese, salt and pepper into the mix and stirred (a softer version of my previous thrashing, and with a wooden spoon instead of a whisk) until everything was hot and nearly bubbly. I turned off the heat and moved the pot to another burner.

There, I added the sour cream and green onions. I put it back on the cooled burner and turned the heat to low. I stired it slowly, watching the ripples form and spread across the surface and stood on guard against it ever boiling again. When it was shimmering anew, I called dinner. I dumped in two good handfuls of diced cheese, and garnished it with a tablespoon of diced bacon and cracked pepper.

The soup was delicious, but unbelievably creamy and rich. It would have been better, I think, if I'd added the bacon instead of the onions to cook with the sour cream and then topped with the onions; as the onions almost overpowered the dish.

The cooking time as a scant 30 minutes (I microwaved the potatoes rather than baking them); but it took all of my attention during that time.

It was, alas not the recipe we were looking for. In addition, despite pills that help me deal with milk and using lower fat milk than the recipe called for -- it was still too rich for me. So, as pleasant as it was; it shall not be mine again.

Ingredients

• 4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces)
• 6 cups 1% reduced-fat milk
• 1 1/2 cup (6 ounces) reduced-fat Montaray Jack cheese, divided (1/2 shredded, 1/2 chunked)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 3/4 cup green onions, chopped & divided
• 6 bacon slices, cooked & crumbled
• Cracked black pepper (optional)

Preparation

1. Microwave potatoes according to your microwave's instructions. Mash coarsely and set aside.
2. Cook the bacon until crisp and set aside to drain and cool before crumbling.
3. Spoon flour into a dry measuring cup.
4. Dump the flour in a large pot and gradually add the milk, stirring with a whisk until blended.
5. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes).
6. Add the mashed potatoes, grated cup cheese, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stirring until the cheese melts.
7. Remove the pot from the heat.
8. Stir in the sour cream and 1/2 cup of onions.
9. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil).
10. Add the remaining cheese to the pot.
11. Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls.
12. Sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon bacon. Garnish with cracked pepper, if desired.