my brother is an amazing cook.  he's the type of person who can take whatever is in the kitchen and make up a dish that turns out delicious.  that's one place we differ.  i like to have a plan, if not a recipe.  another difference in our styles is that i clean up & put things away AS i cook... eric cooks & then leaves a mess.  but it was always worth cleaning up after him when we lived together because the food was awesome. 

he also used to go to the grocery store & get just the ingredients for one meal.  i never remember him going on a shopping trip to stock up on essentials or for weeks worth of meals.  how very european of him.  on one occasion, he decided to make potato soup.  it turned out so incredibly good: creamy, chunky, buttery.  it was just the perfect potato soup.

now, i love me some soup.  i could eat soup every day (and i go through periods where i do for lunch).  i make a big pot of chicken soup at least once or twice a month.  probably six months ago, i decided to make potato soup.  i called my brother to get his recipe but he couldn't remember exactly how he made it.  so, i searched online & decided on a recipe that started with a roux.  my first time ever trying to make a roux & i screwed it up.  i think i just didn't whisk enough when i put the milk in the but i'm not 100% sure that's all that i did wrong.  i just know that there were still some tiny flour bomb chunks left at the end & the whole thing tasted too much like flour.  after that failure, i have no interest in trying anything with a roux again (although i probably will eventually).  i hadn't tried to make potato soup since.

so, i was really excited when i got the 20th anniversary issue of cooking light the other day & saw a recipe for baked potato soup that doesn't start with a traditional roux.  i decided to make it for lunches this past week but we ended up eating a good portion of it for dinner when i made it last sunday.  i did change the recipe a little.  i didn't want to heat up the oven so i boiled my potatoes.  i also didn't mash them very much because i like chunky potato soup.  and i forgot to buy the onions so i skipped those.  here's the recipe as printed (which can also be found here).

baked potato soup
4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces)
6 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extrasharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
cracked black pepper (optional)

pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. cool. peel potatoes; coarsely mash.

place flour in a large dutch oven; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stirring until cheese melts. remove from heat.

stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil).

the recipe says to top each serving with the bacon & cheese but i just added the bacon to the pot of soup.  although i realize now that my picture of the finished product would have turned out prettier if i had added it as garnish.  it ended up that the following picture was the best one i got from the experience.  mmmm, bacon.

but the taste is all that really matters, right?  and this soup was awesome.  i was really happy & impressed with the way it turned out.  the only thing i would change is next time i'll add more milk or use a little less flour.  the soup ended up bordering on too thick.  it did also need a little salt but i like to let each person add salt to their own taste at the end anyway.  i didn't miss the onions at all.

so i now have another staple recipe that i'll make often.  it is very filling & really more of a fall/winter soup but i'm so glad i tried it when i got the magazine or i would have forgotten about it later!  there are quite a few recipes in the most recent issue of cooking light that i want to try.  i recommend picking up a copy... and trying this soup!