Loaded Baked Potato Soup

When the weather outside is less than desirable I crave a couple of things, but the main one is soup, hot, thick, filling, soup, another thing I crave is potatoes (up where it gets 50 below zero you almost have to eat things that will maintain fat during the winter, or at least that what I tell myself ).  This soup is hearty and super filling, I couldn't even eat half a bowl before I was full.  It was a major hit with the hubby, but when you add bacon to anything it is a hit with him.  I must say the only down fall was all the chopping you have to do prior to even starting the soup.  A hint to you all is cut up the potatoes first and keep them in water until you need to use them, because I promise your hand will be hurting by the end of chopping...but the chopping is worth this soup.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Bacon, roughly chopped
1 Medium Yellow Onion, Diced
3 Medium Carrots, Diced
3/4 C. Celery, Diced
4 Large Russet Potatoes, Diced
4 Medium Red Potatoes, Diced
1/4 C. Flour
2 C. Chicken Stock (or broth)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cayenne Pepper to taste
4 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
Bacon Pieces, Chives,Cheddar Cheese, to garnish

Direction:

1. In a large stock pot, fry the bacon until it is crisp.
2.  Remove the bacon and let drain on a paper towel.  In the bacon fat, cook the carrots, celery, and onion until the onions are clear looking, and tender.  Add the potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3.  Stir in the flour and stir constantly  over low heat about 5-7 minutes, until the flour mixture has thickened a little.  Add the chicken stock and half of the bacon pieces.
4.  Turn up the heat and bring it to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.  Take a hand mixer and mix until you get your desired consistency.  (personally I like it with some chunks in it so I used a thinner mixing blades).  Add the whipping cream and let simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Season with Salt, Pepper, and Cayenne pepper, and serve with garnishes.

Tip: you can peel the potatoes if you are not a fan of the skin, but to make it easier on myself, plus baked potatoes have skin on them, I decided to leave the skins on, and it was delicious....but be creative try it both ways and let me know which you like more :)

This recipe served three of up for dinner and we still had about 10 more servings so this does feed a lot or is great for those of you who love left overs...and I am one of those people.  You can buy store bough chives, but personally I like having a chive plant in the house for occasions such as these, 1. because I know where the plant has been, and two it is sooooo much cheaper in the long run, especially if you like baked potatoes or other such foods.  But I do have a warning for anyone who does decides to go out and buy a chive plant...if you have cats, they do like the flavor of chives and you might wake up to stubs left.  Place them in a window where they can get lots of sunlight and are not easily accessible to the feline kind :)

ENJOY!