Okay, so I got this massive craving for Panera’s baked potato soup the other day. Seriously, couldn’t stop thinking about it. Instead of driving over there, I thought, “Hey, I bet I can make this myself.” So, the first step was figuring out what actually goes in it. It’s creamy, potato-y, cheesy… gotta have bacon, right?
I started by raiding my own memory of the soup. Definitely potatoes, lots of them. And it’s got that smooth, rich texture, so some kind of dairy – probably heavy cream or half-and-half. Plus, you need that savory base. Chicken broth seemed like the right call.
Gathering the Goods
So, I made a list based on what I thought would work. Here’s what I decided I needed to track down:
- Potatoes: Russets seemed best for that baked potato feel. Grabbed a good few pounds.
- Onions & Garlic: For the flavor base. Couldn’t skip these. Just regular yellow onions and a few cloves of garlic.
- Bacon: Essential for that smoky flavor and the crispy bits on top. A whole pack seemed necessary.
- Chicken Broth: The liquid foundation. A couple of cartons.
- Dairy: I went with heavy cream for richness, maybe some sour cream too for tang and topping.
- Cheese: Sharp cheddar, definitely. For mixing in and sprinkling over.
- Flour & Butter: For making a roux, you know, to thicken things up.
- Seasonings: Salt, black pepper, maybe a little something extra like chives for garnish.
Had to run to the store for the potatoes, fresh bacon, and heavy cream. Luckily, I had onions, garlic, broth, cheese, and the pantry staples like flour and butter already hanging around. Saved me some hassle.
Prep Time Begins
First things first, I tackled the potatoes. Washed them really well, then got to peeling. Decided to peel most, but maybe leave a bit of skin on a couple for texture? Still debating that. Then I chopped them into roughly even cubes so they’d cook consistently. Set those aside in some cold water so they wouldn’t brown.
Next up was the bacon. I chopped up about half the pack into smallish pieces. Figured I’d cook this first to get the fat rendered out and have nice crispy bits later. Then, I diced the onion and minced the garlic. Got the butter and flour measured out and sitting ready. Shredded a big pile of that sharp cheddar cheese too.
So yeah, that was basically the ingredient gathering and prepping stage. Got everything lined up on the counter – the chopped potatoes, the bacon bits, onion, garlic, broth, cream, cheese, butter, flour, salt, and pepper. Felt pretty good, like having all your soldiers ready before the battle. Now, the actual cooking could start.
