Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Crispy Bacon

• 3garlic cloves, minced
• 800 mlchicken stock
• 1 kgfloury potatoes, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
• salt and black pepper
• 1onion, finely diced
• 200 mlwhole milk
• 2 tbspbutter
• 1 tbspolive oil
• 4spring onions, thinly sliced
• 6rashers streaky bacon
• 100 gmature cheddar, grated

Method

1. 1Fry the bacon rashers in a large dry pot over medium-high heat for 4–5 minutes, turning once, until deeply crisp and the fat has rendered. Lift onto kitchen paper, leaving the bacon fat in the pot. Crumble into shards once cool.
2. 2Add the butter and olive oil to the bacon fat. Fry the onion over medium heat for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. 3Tip in the potato chunks and pour over the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer for 20–25 minutes, until the potatoes collapse easily when prodded with a fork.
4. 4Using a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon, crush about half the potatoes directly in the pot. You're after a thick, chunky, rib-sticking texture; not a smooth puree.
5. 5Pour in the milk and stir through about three-quarters of the grated cheddar. Warm over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring, until the cheese has melted into a glossy, creamy soup. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper.
6. 6Ladle into deep bowls. Pile on the crumbled bacon, scatter over the remaining cheddar so it just begins to melt, and shower with sliced spring onions. Finish with a hard crack of black pepper.

Per serving

kcal

532

protein

21.8g

fibre

6.6g

carbs

53.8g

fat

26.9g