Baked Potato Soup & Potato Skins

This recipe tastes like home to me - mom would make it every winter. It does take a while to make but it is well worth it! I think she found the recipe from a Southern Living cookbook and it quickly became a family favorite. It is just simple goodness. She added the potato skins at some point and we like to eat the soup inside them. Hope you enjoy!

Baked Potato Soup & Potato Skins

Makes: about 8 servings | Prep Time: 1.5 hours

4 large baking potatoes
Few teaspoons Crisco
4 green onions, chopped and divided
20 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled and divided
2 cups cheddar cheese, chopped and divided
⅔ cup butter or margarine
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
6 cups milk
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 (8 oz.) carton sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Wash potatoes and prick several times with a fork. Cover potatoes in Crisco and place on oven rack; bake for 1 hour or until done.
3. While the potatoes are baking chop onions, cook and crumble bacon and chop cheese. I cooked the bacon in the oven at the same time as the potatoes on a large jelly roll pan - that way I could cook more at once. I used a small food processor to chop the cheese into small bits.
4. Once potatoes are done (you’ll know because they are soft to the touch and a fork will go into the potato easily), take the potatoes out of the oven and cool for at least 10 minutes.
5. After the 10 minute cool down time, melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. While the butter is melting, cut potatoes in half length-wise and scoop out potato pulp into separate bowl. Leave a little pulp around the outside and place potato skins on cookie sheet.
6. Once butter is melted, add all-purpose flour and stir with whisk until smooth. Cook butter and flour mixture 1 minute, stirring constantly.
7. Increase heat to medium and gradually add 6 cups milk, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly. 
8. While soup is thickening, sprinkle bacon and then cheese in potato skins - just a small layer in each one.
9. To the soup, add potato pulp, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons green onions, ½ cup bacon, and 1 cup cheese. Cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in sour cream. Add extra milk, if necessary, for desired thickness.
10. A few minutes before serving soup, place potato skins in oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
11. Serve soup with remaining onion, bacon and cheese and potato skins.