Baked Potato Soup

My friend asked me for this recipe the other day after I had mentioned it and I remembered that I had taken a picture of it the last time I made it...so here it is!  This is soooooooooo good and tastes pretty much identical to the Tony Roma's version! 

 

Tony Roma's Baked Potato Soup
- 2 medium russet potatoes
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 cup diced white onion
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth (one of the big Campbell's cartons is the right size)
- 2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups instant mashed potatoes, dry
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/8 tsp dried thyme
- 1 cup half-and-half cream (now...I find this soup thick to begin with, and to reduce the fat, I always sub in 2% milk...I don't find it tastes much different)

Garnish:
- 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon (Oscar Meyer Bacon Bits are much quicker :))
- 2 green onions, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake the potatoes for 1 hour.

2. As potatoes cool, prepare soup by melting butter in a large saucepan, and saute the onion until light brown. Add the flour to make a roux.

3. Add broth, water, cornstarch, mashed potato flakes and spices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Add chopped baked potato and half-and-half (or milk) to the saucepan, bring soup back to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for another 15 minutes or until thick.

6. Spoon into bowls and top with a tablespoon of shredded cheddar cheese, half a tablespoon of crumbled bacon and a teaspoon of green onions.

Makes 6-8 servings.