Baked Potato Soup

*This is a modified Pampered Chef recipe from the Main Dishes cookbook.

4 medium or 3 large baked potatoes
4 slices bacon
1/2 c. celery, chopped
1/2 c. green onions, thinly sliced
2 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. milk
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
other seasonings as needed (I use Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning.)
1 c. sour cream*
shredded cheddar cheese

Remove skins from baked potatoes and break apart into bite-size chunks, reserving 1/2 of one potato to mash; set aside.

In 4-quart soup pot, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon to paper towel to drain; crumble and set aside. Leave drippings in pot; add chicken broth, milk, potatoes, celery, onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Turn off heat and add sour cream and bacon. Stir into soup until sour cream has melted. Ladle into bowls and top individual servings with cheese, if desired.

Makes 4-6 servings.

*You can add light sour cream, but it doesn't melt into the soup well and it changes the flavor and the consistency. Full fat sour cream adds a much smoother flavor, and you're not really getting all that fat since it's distributed throughout the whole pot of soup.

Note: You can stretch leftovers by adding another baked potato, milk, water, garlic, and seasoning. Just add ingredients to suit your taste and desired consistency.