• 5 lbs. russet baking potatoes
• 1/2 lb. bacon
• 3 Cups 2% milk
• 1 stick butter or margarine
• 3 Cups Onion, Minced
• 2 Tablespoons U-Bake Chicken Soup Base, dissolved in 71/2 Cups water
• 1/2 - 3/4 Cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp U-Bake Thyme
• 1 T U-Bake Parsley
• 1/4 tsp U-Bake Cayenne Red Pepper
• 1 tsp U-Bake Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and dry potatoes, poke with a fork and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes until soft. Cool to room temp. Refrigerate for 1 hour to speed up the cooling. Remove the skins and coarsley chop the potatoes. Set aside. Finely chop the bacon and fry until crispy. Drain the bacon on paper towels and set aside. Let the milk come to room temp. Place 1 1/2 cups of chopped potatoes into a blender. Blend or mash with a little water to make the potatoes thin, yet smooth and creamy. In a large, heavy pot, melt the margarine or butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until they are soft and translucent, about 10 min. In a seperate pan, heat the chicken broth to boiling. Using a wooden spoon, gradually mix the flour into the onion mixture. Continue stirring mixture for 3 min. Do not brown. While stirring the mixture, slowing add the rest of the chicken broth to the onion mixture. Next, add the potato puree. Mix well. Lower the heat to simmer and cook for 30 min. Stir often to avoid scorching on the bottom. Add milk and all spices, and the remaning chopped potatoes. Cover and simmer another 30 min. stirring often. If soup is too thick, thin with more milk. Add 3/4 of the crisp bacon and mix well. Serve garnished with the remaining bacon, cheddar cheese and U-Bake Chives if desired.

Serves 10-12