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Am I crazy? Soup made from baked potatoes? No, I'm not crazy, and this recipe will give you a whole new outlook on what to do with those extra baked potatoes that you cooked for that big Sunday dinner, but for some reason, the potatoes were never eaten. This recipe comes from my grandmother, who during the depression years of the 1930's, was forced to make-do with what she had on hand, and she never wasted anything. I've adopted her philosophy and her mind-set, which extends into my every-day cooking philosophy, as , I try to use all ingredients on-hand, and I attempt to leave nothing, meaning all ingredients, to waste. Things I can't use, like skins, bones, fat and extras, I either put into the compost pile of my garden, or freeze to use in soups, as in the recipe described for baked potato soup, which is an excellent example of a delicious meal that you can create utilizing leftovers. Special
tools: 8-quart pot, I prefer cast iron 2
large baking potatoes, about 1-1/4 pounds Scrub potatoes thoroughly, slice in halves lengthwise, and coat sliced surfaces with a drizzle of olive oil. Bake in 400 degree oven for 60 minutes. Allow to cool, then scoop out pulp. Set pulp aside and discard peelings, or reserve the peelings for another use.
Left: Fresh cilantro and jalapeno peppers are ready to be added to the soup, and the fresh bollilo makes it a meal. Right: Oh boy! I've added the fresh cilantro and chopped jalapeno peppers to the soup and the boilllo is on the side, which makes a meal to "die for." Dice bacon into very small pieces. While potatoes are baking in oven, cook, over medium heat, in cast iron pot until "rubbery" in texture, about 4 minutes. Remove bacon, including fat, and reserve for later use, but leave grease and drippings in pot; VERY IMPORTANT! Melt butter over low heat. Remove pan from heat. Add flour and stir until thoroughly mixed with bacon grease and butter; the idea is to get the texture as smooth as possible. Add three cups of milk, and place mixture back on heat. Cook over medium heat, stirring as needed until mixture has thickened. Reduce heat to low. Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, chives, bacon and cheese. Make sure the potato pulp is "lumpy," as that's the desired texture of the soup. If mixture is too thick, the additional cup of milk can be added. If mixture is too thin, flour or corn starch can be added. For a very southwestern touch, chili power, diced onions and diced jalapeno peppers can be added to add a bit more spice to this soup; basically, you can add just about anything you want to this soup at this stage. For a all-in-the-bowl-meal, you can add some beef or chicken, or whatever meat you have on hand. Anyway, continue heating and stirring soup over low heat until ingredients are well-combined and soup is hot. Add remaining cup of milk, if needed. Stir in sour cream and stir, until blended well with other ingredients. I prefer to cook the soup on low-low heat for at least a couple of additional hours, or more... Soup gets better the longer it's cooked over low, low heat, as that allows all of the ingredients to blend together. I like to cook the soup over low-low heat for a couple of hours, or maybe all day... Sides? Offer diced onions, jalapeno peppers and chopped cilantro that can be added to the hot soup just before eating. A slice of lime on the side is a good thing, too. Trust me, this soup is good!
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