Soul Warming Soup

I love soups and stews and all manner of bowl containing sustenance that can be accompanied by a thick hunk of homemade bread that you use to sop up whatever is left in the bowl when you are done.
*Phew* That was a long sentence.
We have some favorites that we turn to again and again like white chicken chili and cheeseburger soup.
Derek's grandma used to make a fabulous potato soup but she didn't use a recipe, so she couldn't pass it on to me.
I did watch her make it a time or two and so 2 winters ago, Miranda and I set out to recreate it.
We made several attempts and when we got as close as we were going to get, we wrote it down.
I made it last night for my Halloween open house (which I am certain is my newest tradition btw) and it turned out wonderful even though I forgot to add the milk.
It was a bit thick, but it tasted heavenly.
So here you go.
Our Hearty Potato Cheddar Soup recipe:
Scrub and dice potatoes to make 8 cups. Rinse and set aside.
Saute' 1/2 pound chopped bacon until perfectly browned and crispy. Remove from pot and crumble.
In bacon drippings saute' one large onion chopped until translucent and starting to brown. Add one stick of butter to the pot, when melted add about 1/2 cup flour to make a roux. Whisk until no lumps remain.
Add about 4 cups chicken broth.
Bring to a boil and add potatoes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and cover cooking 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Uncover and season to taste (salt, pepper and tastefully simple season salt is what we use).
Add 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese and 3/4 cup-1 cup of milk.
Stir over low heat until cheese is melted and completely combined.
Add 1/2 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt and stir.
Remove from heat. Add crumbled bacon.
Serve with additional crumbled bacon, grated cheese and sour cream/yogurt for garnish.
Serve this soup with fresh bread and people will vote for you instead of Pedro!!!
Enjoy!