Calibama Baked Potato and Bacon Soup

What do you get when you combine family roots from the heart of Dixie with a girl born and raised in California?  You get some seriously delicious comfort food just like your grandmother used to make. With Lori Rogers known as Chef Lorious, you also get new and innovative twists on classic recipes we all love.  In her first cookbook, Calibama Cooking, Lori puts it all together in a delicious collection of classic and contemporary comfort food recipes.

Each recipe in Calibama Cooking has easy-to-follow instructions, full-color photos, tips and serving suggestions, and feel-good stories from Lori’s life that will make you laugh and want to eat. With each bite of Chef Lorious’ recipes you are transported to a place that makes you feel as if you’re sitting with family, eating, reminiscing and talking about life at the table, and we’ve got one of her recipes ready for you.

Baked Potato and Bacon Soup

Ingredients : 

• 2 pounds bacon, cut into cubes 

• 1 cup flour 

• 5–6 cups of chicken broth 

• 3 pounds potatoes, baked, boiled, or microwaved until fork-tender, peeled and cut into cubes 

• 1 teaspoon nutmeg 

• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) 

• 1½ cups heavy whipping cream 

For garnish: 

• shredded cheese 

• chives 

• sour cream 

• bacon

Instructions: 

1. In an 8-quart stockpot, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Set aside some of the cooked bacon to garnish the soup. Leave all of the bacon grease in the stockpot; you will use it to make a roux. 

2. Add flour to the bacon in the stockpot and stir until absorbed by the bacon grease. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. 

3. Add cooked potatoes, nutmeg, and cayenne (if using). Stir well to combine. Add the heavy whipping cream and bring to a boil. 

4. Let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes until all flavors are well combined. Taste to be sure it’s the way you want it. 

5. Garnish with sour cream, cheese, bacon pieces, chives—whatever you like on your baked potato.

Pro Tips 

• For a thicker soup, add an extra ¼ cup of flour at a time until the desired thickness is achieved. Dissolve the flour in 1∕3 cup of water or broth so it doesn’t get lumpy in the soup. 

• Don’t worry about pureeing or mashing the potatoes. As the soup simmers, they will melt into the liquid. Whatever pieces don’t fully dissolve will be delicious chunks of soft potatoes in your soup