baked potato soup

4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces)
6 cups 2% milk
1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extrasharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I had ground white pepper so that's what I used)
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided (I omitted)
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled (I omitted)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce potatoes with a fork, bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes, coarsely mash.

(I didn't want to take the time to do this. I peeled and quartered the potatoes, and boiled them on the stovetop in well-salted water. This also made them a lot moister and, I think, easier to mash into oblivion. However, I think this recipe would work awesome with leftover baked potatoes from a previous evening or, for bandsters, on a night when they are baking potatoes for their families.)

2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour in a large Dutch oven; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly, about 8 minutes. Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

3. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon. Garnish with cracked pepper.

Yield: 8 servings

(I made a half-recipe as M does not care for soup. I had it for dinner last night and lunch today and I haven't even eaten a whole serving yet.)

Calories: 329 (30% from fat)
Fat: 10.8 g (sat 5.9 g, mono 3.5 g, poly 0.7 g)
Carb: 44.5 g
Protein: 13.6 g
Fiber: 2.8 g
Chol: 38 mg
Iron: 1.1 mg
Sodium: 587 mg
Calc: 407 mg

Stolen from September 2007 Cooking Light issue, page 140.