Tony Roma's® Baked Potato Soup

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Tony Roma's® Baked Potato Soup

"A house specialty full of baked potatoes and topped with Cheddar
cheese, bacon and green onions."

The thick-and-creamy texture and rich taste of Tony Roma's best-
selling soup can be easily cloned with basic ingredients. This
version is thickened with a little flour, some half and half and,
most notably, instant mashed potatoes.

Give yourself an hr. to bake the potatoes, and around 30 mins. to
prepare the soup.

Garnish each serving with shredded cheese, crumbled bacon and green
onions, and you will have a home kitchen Tony Roma's recreation that
will surely impress.

2 med. potatoes, about 2 c. chopped
3 T. butter
1 c. diced white onion
2 T. flour
4 c. chicken stock
2 c. water
1/4 c. cornstarch
1 1/2 c. instant mashed potatoes
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. basil
1/8 tsp. thyme
1 c. half and half

Garnish
1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 c. crumbled cooked bacon
2 green onions, chopped (green part only)

Preheat oven to 400, and bake the potatoes or 1 hr. or until done.
When potatoes have cooked remove them from the oven to cool.

As potatoes cool prepare soup by melting butter in a large saucepan,
and saute onion until light brown. Add the flour to the onions, and
stir to make a roux.

Add stock, water, cornstarch, mashed potato flakes, and spices to the
pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 5 mins.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, and scoop out contents with a lg.
spoon. Discard skin. Chop baked potato with a lg. knife to make
chunks that are about 1/2" in size.

Add chopped baked potato and half and half to the saucepan, and bring
soup back to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer the soup for
another 15 mins., or until it is thick.

Spoon about 1 1/2 c. of soup into a bowl, and top with about 1 T. of
shredded Cheddar cheese, a 1/2 T. of crumbled bacon, and a tsp. or so
of chopped green onion.

Repeat for remaining servings.

Makes 6-8 servings