Baked Potato Soup

"This is a recipe that my cousin shared with me.  It's a perfect dish to prepare for St. Patrick's Day or any day that you want to warm up with a comforting bowl of soup.  It's definitely a Pot O' Gold!"

3-4 large Idaho potatoes, baked and cooled
1 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced, divided
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp. dried dill or 2 Tbsp. fresh dill
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 cups of milk or a combination of milk and half-and-half
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon

Scoop flesh out of potatoes and set aside.  In a large saucepan, fry bacon until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan and set aside.  To bacon drippings, add sliced green onions, making sure to reserve some for garnish.  Cook onions until tender.  Add flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add dill, salt, pepper, milk and potatoes.  Bring mixture to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Crumble reserved bacon and add into soup, along with shredded cheese.  Serve soup topped with reserved green onion.

To Make Loaded Baked Potato Soup Bowls:
My favorite way to serve this soup is in a bread bowl.  I purchase bread bowls at my local grocery store in the bakery department.  I cut the top portion of the bread bowl off and scoop out the bread to make the perfect 'bowl' for this delicious soup.  I then ladle in the heated soup and sprinkle the top with shredded cheese, crumbled bacon and green onions.  I bake the soup bowls at 350 degrees until the cheese is hot and bubbly.  I love to serve the soup with the bread that was scooped out of the bread bowls to dip in all of the yummy goodness!

Check this recipe out on the Gooseberry Patch Blog .  It was featured on the St. Patrick's Day Recipe Roundup.  Yay!

Cheesy Goodness!