There is Always Time for a Home Cooked Meal - Baked Potato Soup

Week two for me and my Crock Pot Buddy, The Harried Mom, and we are enjoying this project more than we ever thought! This week, we both tried the same Baked Potato Soup recipe. Using her Cadillac Crock Pot and I with my Yugo, we embarked on a vegetarian recipe that turned out......

well....I will let you find out how things turned out.

Back during my college days, I held various jobs to help pay my tuition. One of my favorite jobs was waitressing at Houlihan's in Weehawken, NJ - primarily because it was the summer, I had the stamina to stay up really late and they made the best Baked Potato Soup. Everything about this soup was perfect. The taste. The texture. The cheese. Back then, I was fit as a fiddle (what does that really mean anyway?) and I could eat almost anything I wanted. Almost 15 years later, everything has changed. I am now a permanent waitress to two steady customers who live in my home that tip with sticky kisses instead of cash, I really don't function well past 11 p.m. and the mere sight of baked potato soup adds one inch to my waistline.

So when I came across a recipe for "healthy" baked potato soup, I had to try it for the Crock Pot project. Coming off the triumphant heels of the Beef Chili recipe, I felt invincible.

AND....the triumph was short-lived.

First came the realization that I had to peel the potatoes. I would like to tell you that I keep the skin on all my potato recipes because I am aware of the nutritional value the skin contains, but that would be a blatant lie. In my rush to get most dinners prepped and cooked, I scrub the potatoes clean and make either smashed potatoes or a family favorite, potatoes al' forno.

"Honey," I called. "Could you lend me hand?"

"With what?" answers my cautious hubby.

"Um..can you peel the potatoes?"

"Use the peeler. It's easier," my husband responds.

Well, turns out we DON'T EVEN OWN a peeler. I recall having one at some point, but at that moment, we could not find any!

Once I finished peeling the potatoes, I proceeded with putting together the remaining portions of the recipe. One stick of butter (wow...that is not healthy, but it's not as if I am eating the entire stick myself, right?) 1 quart of chicken broth (darn it! I meant for this to be a vegetarian dish), 1/2 cup of half and half or heavy cream and 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (well, there goes healthy).

"Honey," I called. "Remember the bacon you bought this morning? Please go ahead and cook it!"

This recipe was no longer healthy or vegetarian.

Four hours later, my kitchen smelled sinfully good. I swear I would gain an ounce each time I removed the crock pot lid to check on my masterpiece. As we prepared for dinner (which included another couple and their two children), I was nervous. If this recipe was a debacle, I would have to feed my guests cheerios and a side salad.

While the taste was not quite Houlihan's Baked Potato Soup, it was pretty darn good. In fact, everyone helped themselves to second servings and I had just two small leftover containers remaining - one which my guests gladly took home with them.

Baked Potato Soup

6 Yukon Gold Potatoes peeled and cut into chunks

1 white onion chopped(I used yellow onion and I found the smell too strong)

3 gloves of garlic minced

1 quart of chicken broth (or you can use 1 quart of veggie broth)

1 1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

1 1/2 cup of heavy cream (I used half and half but the heavy cream would lend to better consistency)

1 cup of cheddar shredded cheese

Place the potatoes, onion, garlic, chicken broth, salt and pepper in the crock pot and set to high 4 hours. At the 4th hour, mash the contents in the crock pot.  Once blended, add the heavy cream and the shredded cheese into the crock pot and let it cook for another 30 minutes. Serve with additional shredded cheese or bacon bits!

Buon Appetito!

So now it's your turn! Visit The Harried Mom (I think she is still peeling potatoes) and then link with us at Thursday Crock Pot Buddies. Share with us your recipe!