Loaded Baked Potato Soup

     Soup weather is here! I don't know about you, but I think soup is the perfect supper. A big pot of soup simmering on the stove makes the house smell good, and holds promises of  a warm bowl of comfort on a chilly evening. Put on your warm wooly socks and snuggle up with a steaming bowl of goodness that'll warm you up from the inside out!

     This potato soup, from Cooking Light magazine, is a lightened version of the decadent loaded baked potato soup so popular in restaurants. Creamy texture? Check. Chunks of tender potato? Check. Melty cheese? Check. Crunchy bacon? Check. The only thing this isn't loaded with is calories. Pair it up with  a nice salad and you've got yourself a hearty, satisfying meal. It's surprisingly quick and easy to make, and if you hide some you're lucky, you'll have enough left over for tomorrow's lunch. :)

Loaded Baked Potato Soup
recipe from Cooking Light magazine, Nov. 2012

Ingredients:
4 (6oz.) red potatoes
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (I love onion in potato soup, so I used more)
1 1/4 cups (fat free, lower sodium) chicken broth
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups low-fat milk, divided
1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 tsp. salt (or season to taste if salt intake is not an issue for you)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (I love pepper, so I used more)
Garnishes: cooked and crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese, thinly sliced green onions or chives

Instructions:

• Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave at High for 13 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Cut in half; cool slightly.
• While potatoes are cooking, heat a large saucepan over med-high heat. Add oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add onion and saute, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent. Add broth to pan.
• Combine flour and 1/2 cup of the milk in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Add flour mixture to the pan with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk.
• Bring soup to boil, stirring frequently. Cook 1 minute.
• Remove soup from heat. Stir in sour cream, salt and pepper.
• Discard potato skins if desired. Coarsely mash potatoes into soup. 
• Top soup with grated cheese, crumbled bacon and onions or chives.
• Makes 4 servings

Easy Herb Baked Potatoes

 Whenever hubby grills steaks, it's my job to come up with something good to go with them. I had plenty of beautiful tomatoes and cucumbers for a nice salad, but these were gorgeous steaks and deserved some potato love. I do love potatoes with a good steak, and there's the dilemma. Baked potatoes just don't do much for me unless I use a bit of butter load them up with butter, and I'm trying to keep our butter consumption down to reasonable levels. (Everything in moderation, right?)  I bookmarked this potato recipe on Kayotic Kitchen ages ago but had never tried it.

 

 I knew I wanted potatoes, and I had plenty of lovely fresh basil just calling to me. And the recipe fit my requirements for the evening: #1:Tasty. #2: Lower fat than my normal baked potato. #3: Easy. And it turned out to be all three.

 

  The cheese added some extra fat, but not as much as cheese AND butter would have. And the potatoes were very tasty and went well with the steak. The basil added a lovely touch to the potatoes, and I'll definitely make this again- maybe with some rosemary or thyme to go with grilled chicken.

Herb Baked Potatoes

Recipe slightly adapted from Kayotic Kitchen

(This is really more of a method than a recipe)

Potatoes- However many your family will eat, or enough to fill your baking dish! I peeled mine, but this recipe would also work well with unpeeled potatoes.

Herbs- I used about 10 chopped Basil leaves in this dish, but Rosemary or Thyme would also be good.

Milk or fat free half and half- 1/4 to 1/2 cup

1 egg

Salt and Pepper to taste (but I recommend lots of pepper!)

A Sprinkle of Cheese- Parmesan, cheddar, pepper jack or whatever your favorite is

Directions:

Wash, peel (or don't peel) and slice potatoes- They don't need to be thin, about 1/4 inch is fine

Arrange potato slices in a buttered casserole dish. (I just had to get some butter in there somewhere, didn't I?) 

Sprinkle on the salt to taste, and plenty of pepper. Make sure some of the seasoning gets down between the potatoes.

Whisk together the milk and egg until well combined. Add chopped basil or other herbs as desired.

Pour over potatoes, making sure that the mixture gets in the nooks and crannies between the potatoes.

Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes. Remove foil the last 10 minutes of baking to allow potatoes to brown.

Sprinkle cheese (as much as is desired) over the top and broil until browned and bubbly.