Baked Potato Soup

So it turns out that not matter how many days you spend pretending that summer will last forever...it um...doesn't.  And um...fall arrives.  Invited or not.

So that stinks.

However, it means that I can start cooking soups again.

Did I ever tell you that I didn't start to like soup until I went to college?  In Indiana.  Where it snows.

Growing up in South Florida, where it's always hot and sometimes super hot and even super duper hot with a side of OMG muggy too, I never ate soup.  Just never appealed to me.  Also, as amazing as my mother was in the kitchen, she never made a pot of homemade soup.  Probably because it was hot outside.  But my point is that I thought all soup came in cans.

But as I got older and lived in colder climates, I started to play around in the kitchen.  And now I am a big fan of soups.  Under two conditions: 1. it must be cool outside and 2. they must be homemade (or from Panera because Panera is seriously one of my favorite restaurants and I make no apologies about that low brow statement).

You can totally make this soup fat free if you use fat free sour cream and skim milk.  I make it gluten free with cornstarch but you can use regular ole white flour if you prefer.  And you can make it dairy free by using dairy free milk and adding something such as mayo instead of sour cream.  This makes a GIANT pot of soup because I like to eat it for two days and then freeze it to eat as lunches later.  Cut in half if you don't subscribe to the same cook once, eat a bunch of times philosophy.

Food is meant to be played with.  Use what you have on hand to make this your own.

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:
* 5 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed
* enough water to just cover potatoes
* 5 cups milk
* 5 scallions, chopped both white and green parts
* 3-6 tbls cornstarch
* 1 tsp minced garlic
* 1 cup sour cream, plus extra for topping
* pinch of nutmeg
* generous salt and pepper to taste
* shredded cheddar cheese for topping
* chopped bacon for topping

Directions:
* Cover peeled and cubed potatoes with just enough water to keep them all wet.  Bring to a boil until tender.
* Drain off about half the water. 
* I use a hand held potato masher to mash them because I like it on the chunky side.  But you can also {carefully...it's HOT} use a food processor or blender to make your soup silky smooth.  So pick your poison- I use a potato masher.  Mash mash. 
* Add sour cream, garlic, salt and pepper.  Just like you are making mashed potatoes.  And it will be about that consistency at this point.
* Add in scallions, milk and nutmeg. 
* Mix cornstarch in water or milk until smooth.  Add to pot.  Stir.
* Once a thickness that makes you happy, taste for seasoning.  Add more if needed.  Also feel free to add more water or milk if needed.
* Top with anything from bacon to a sharp cheddar cheese to more sour cream and scallions or even hot sauce.  Serve with a big green salad.