It's the dish you didn't even know you needed—all the savoury, satisfying flavours of a baked potato in soup form. Read on for directions for the best ever baked potato soup.

This soup ticks all the boxes of a classic steakhouse baked potato, right down to the toppings everyone loves. Plan ahead and stick whole potatoes directly on the oven rack to bake when your oven is on. Keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to make soup. In a pinch, you can poke them with a fork and zap them in the microwave for 10 minutes. Include the whole potato—skins and all—to boost fibre and nutrients.

Ingredients for Baked Potato Soup

4 large or 6-8 small russet potatoes
Olive or canola oil, for cooking
2 tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 large leek, halved and white and pale green parts sliced
2 celery stalks, diced (with leaves)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/2-1 cup half & half or whole milk
Salt and pepper

Toppings:

Cooked, crumbled bacon
Grated cheddar
Chopped green onion
Sour cream

Directions for Baked Potato Soup

  1. Bake the potatoes directly on the oven rack at 350˚F for 45 min, or poke them with a fork and cook in the microwave for 7–8 min, until almost tender and steaming. Once they’ve cooled enough to handle, cut into 4–8 pieces.
  2. To a medium pot, add butter and a drizzle of oil and heat over medium-high. When the foam subsides, sauté onion, leeks and celery for 4-5 min, until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
  3. Add potatoes and stock along with 2 cups of water and bring to a simmer; season with salt and pepper and cook for 10–20 min, until the potatoes are very soft and their skins are peeling back. Add cream and roughly mash potatoes with the back of a spoon or a potato masher, or puree using a hand-held immersion blender right in the pot. Add a little extra stock or cream if it seems too thick. Make it as chunky or smooth as you like.

Serve hot, with bowls of garnishes for everyone to top their own at the table. Serves 6.

Originally published in ParentsCanada magazine, November 2013.