With the holidays and major events of February behind us now – the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, and Valentine’s Day – I am really looking forward to daylight savings time coming on March 10. I relish the longer days and warmer temperatures and cannot wait for spring. Pretty soon, we’ll be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, planting flowers and herbs in the garden and sunbathing on the beach. Until then, there’s loaded baked potato soup to keep us warm.

This comforting and hearty recipe begins with bacon and is much like a warm hug in a bowl. Made with chicken stock and sour cream, with a bit of earthiness from fresh rosemary, I serve it alongside my three ingredient Southern buttermilk biscuits. Like its namesake, this soup is reminiscent of a loaded baked potato, so feel free to top it with shredded sharp cheddar or parmesan cheese, chives, crispy bacon, and sour cream. However you fancy your baked potato, the same flavors apply here. It is important to note, if you don’t have an immersion blender, you can carefully transfer the soup to a blender and pulse it to your desired consistency, then return it to the pot. Also, a microplane is one of my favorite kitchen tools, used for grating and zesting ingredients such as fresh ginger, Parmesan cheese or lemons and limes. I recommend using a microplane to grate the Parmesan in this recipe, however the smallest grate on a box grater will work just fine.

Since finishing culinary school in December, I am thrilled to share that I’ve rejoined the team at Food + Fire Knives and am now accepting private chef bookings through May. I’ve also launched a new line of Some Kinda Good merchandise, such as tea towels, aprons, and oven mitts, and my new book, Unique Eats and Eateries of Savannah, is now available for preorder and is coming out this April. You can explore menus, preorder the book, view events or shop for merchandise by visiting RebekahLingenfelser.com. I hope to see you all on my book signing tour and look forward to sharing more with you soon. Stay warm and well fed.  

Rebekah Faulk Lingenfelser is a private chef and the author of the best-selling memoir “Some Kinda Good.” 

Featured in Forbes, on Food Network and ABC, she writes about Southern, coastal cuisine, locally sourced and in season. Connect with her on social media by liking Some Kinda Good on Facebook, or follow @SKGFoodBlog on Instagram and Twitter. 

Loaded Baked Potato Soup 

• 2 slices of thick-cut hickory smoked bacon, cut into small pieces 

• 5 Medium Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and medium diced

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 TBS unsalted butter

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 

• 4 cups chicken stock 

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• ½ cup fresh Parmesan Cheese, grated with a microplane

• Fresh Rosemary bundle

• Salt and Pepper, to taste

• Red Pepper Flakes

In a stock pot, cook bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan and add butter and onion. Sauté for 2 minutes until soft. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper, and pepper flakes. Add potatoes and cook for about 2 minutes. Add flour and incorporate well. Cover with chicken stock and bring to a boil. With kitchen twine, tie a bundle of rosemary to the side of the pot, and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove rosemary bundle. Off the heat, using an immersion blender, blend soup to desired consistency. Add sour cream and Parmesan. Garnish with crisp bacon, sour cream, and cheese.