Food Network Magazine - (03)March 2020

Panera’s beloved baked potato soup has

disappeared from the menu. What now?

All Gone!

f

or a place with a carb-forward name, Panera Bread sells a lot

of soup: nearly 250 million cups per year. Broccoli Cheddar

has been the chain’s perennial best seller, and the creamy

Baked Potato Soup has never been far behind. The company took

the potato soup off most menus permanently in January, and

although we’re not sure why it disappeared, we have a fix: Our

test kitchen chefs created this version you can make at home.

We topped ours

with cheddar,

bacon and chives!

COPYCAT

BAKED POTATO SOUP

ACTIVE: 40 min l TOTAL: 1 hr l SERVES: 4

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

4 slices thick-cut bacon,

cut into ¼-inch pieces

1 onion, finely chopped

2 scallions, sliced (white and green

parts separated)

Kosher salt

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon celery seeds

¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

1¼ pounds russet potatoes, peeled

and cut into ½- to ¾-inch pieces

1 cup half-and-half

2 ounces cream cheese

1 tablespoon grated parmesan

cheese

¼ to ½ teaspoon hot sauce

Shredded cheddar cheese and

chopped fresh chives, for topping

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over
   medium-high heat. Add the bacon and
   cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp,
   4 to 6 minutes. Remove the bacon
   with a slotted spoon and transfer
   to a paper towel–lined plate.


2. Reduce the heat to medium and add
   the onion, scallion whites and a big
   pinch of salt to the pot. Cook, stirring
   occasionally, until the onion is soft
   but not browned, about 8 minutes.
   Add the flour, celery seeds and
   white pepper; stir until combined.


3. Add the potatoes, 3½ cups water
   and 1 teaspoon salt to the pot. Bring to
   a boil over high heat, then reduce the
   heat to medium and simmer until the
   potatoes are tender but not falling
   apart, about 10 minutes.


4. Remove the pot from the heat and
   transfer ½ cup of the potatoes to a
   blender. Add the half-and-half, cream
   cheese and parmesan and blend
   until very smooth. Gently stir the
   mixture into the pot along with the
   scallion greens, hot sauce and half of
   the bacon. Bring to a gentle simmer
   over medium heat; season with salt.


5. Divide the soup among bowls.
   Top with cheddar cheese, the
   remaining bacon and chives.

36 FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE ●MARCH 2020

PHOTO: RALPH SMITH; FOOD STYLING: CHRISTINE ALBANO; PROP STYLING: PAIGE HICKS.

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