Potato Soup on steroids

A cold rainy day.  Your entire family at home.  No where to go, no chores that HAVE to be done....well that's a stretch.  We always have chores that have to be done.  Let me rephrase.  No chores I plan on doing.  A good movie.  Nothing could make a day better then a big ole pot of amazing potato soup.  Not just any potato soup....POE-TATE-OOOO soup. 

Regardless of whether you ever encounter one of these days (we rarely do) you still need to put this on your meal plan.  It's winter time....and the only perk winter brings is snow and soup. 

Typically I find recipes and tweak them but this recipe is straight from my imagination and Allen also gave me some great advice as well.  So this is an original Pruitt family soup. 

Before I share the recipe let me share some tips that will take this soup from good to gooooooooo-duh.

1.  Use Velveeta cheese.  I don't care how much cheaper the generic version is.  Use Velveeta. 

2.  Use half and half.  Don't substitute milk of any sort.  Not skim, not 2%, not whole.  Half and Half only.  Amen.

3.  Don't buy imitation bacon bits, or the "real" bacon bits.  Buy real bacon and then chop it up. 

4.  Boil your potatoes in chicken broth.  Not water.  The chicken broth adds just the right amount of flavor

3.I'm not a fan of potato peels.  So I peel half my potatoes and leave the skin on the other half.  But that's just my opinion.

4.  Use red potatoes.  Don't substitute for Idaho, or russet, or whatever other potatoes that catch your eye. 

5.  Add more or less flour to get the soup to the thickness you desire.

6.  Don't add your salt until you're done...depending on your love for salt you may or may not need it. 

6.  I'll stop being bossy now, I'm a mommy I can't help it.
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Ingredients:
3 pounds red potatoes
1/4 cup butter, melted (1 stick)
1/4 cup flour
8 cups half-and-half
16 ounces Velveeta cheese, melted (use more if desired....fyi I desired)
Pepper to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional...I opted NOT)
1/2 pound bacon, fried crisply
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup fresh chives, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
Dice unpeeled/peeled red potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes. Place in a large Dutch oven, cover with water and bring to a boil. Let boil for 10 minutes or until 3/4 cooked.

In a separate large Dutch oven, combine melted margarine and flour, mixing until smooth. Place over low heat and gradually add half-and- half, stirring constantly. Continue to stir until smooth and liquid begins to thicken.

Add melted Velveeta. Stir well. Drain potatoes and add to cream mixture. Stir in pepper, garlic powder and hot pepper sauce.

Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Top with crumbled bacon, shredded cheese, green onions and parsley.