In this article
Order the baked potato soup at a steakhouse and it tastes like a baked potato: earthy, a little nutty, with that dry, fluffy texture and even a hint of the skin. Make potato soup at home the usual way, with peeled potatoes simmered in the pot, and it tastes like boiled potatoes in milk. The difference is one rule every steakhouse kitchen keeps, and it has nothing to do with cream or cheese. The potatoes are baked in the oven first, never boiled. A steakhouse always has a tray of baked potatoes ready, so that is what goes into the soup, and that is the flavor people remember.
Baking does two useful things. It drives water out of the potato, so the flavor is concentrated instead of washed into the cooking water. And it leaves the starch dry and fluffy, which is the secret to a soup that is thick and creamy without turning gluey. Glue happens when wet, boiled potatoes are beaten or blended and their starch is worked into a paste. Here the baked potatoes are scooped out, broken up with a fork and folded in at the end, so the soup stays chunky and silky. Some of the crisp skins go back in too, because that is where the baked potato taste lives.
Why this baked potato soup works
- Baked, not boiled. Oven-baked russets taste like a baked potato and bring dry, fluffy starch that thickens the soup gently.
- Broken with a fork. Potatoes that are never blended or whisked hard cannot turn gluey. Rough chunks also give the soup its body.
- Skins in the pot. A handful of chopped crisp skins carries the roasted flavor all through the soup.
- A light butter and flour base. Just enough to hold the milk and broth together so the soup is creamy before the potatoes even go in.
- Sour cream off the heat. Stirred in at the end, it stays smooth and adds the tang of a loaded potato.
Ingredients
Makes about 8 cups, 6 generous bowls. The potatoes can be baked a day ahead. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the potatoes
- 4 large russet potatoes, about 3 pounds in all (1.4kg)
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
For the soup
- 4 tablespoons butter (55g)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (40g)
- 3 cups whole milk (720ml)
- 2 cups chicken broth (480ml)
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar (115g)
- 1/2 cup sour cream (120g)
To load each bowl
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar (55g)
- Sour cream
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
Russets are the right potato here. Their dry, floury flesh is what makes the soup thick. Waxy red or yellow potatoes stay firm and give a thinner soup. Shred the cheddar yourself from a block; the ready-shredded kind is coated so it does not clump, and it melts grainy.
How to make baked potato soup
Bake the potatoes
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees (200°C). Scrub the potatoes and dry them well. Prick each one a few times with a fork, rub with the oil and the coarse salt, and set them directly on the oven rack.
- Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until the skins are crisp and a knife slides into the center with no resistance. Let them cool until you can handle them.
- Cut the potatoes in half and scoop the flesh into a bowl in rough chunks. Break it up lightly with a fork; leave plenty of pieces. Chop the skins of two of the potatoes into small bits and keep them.
Make the soup
- Melt the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring, until soft but not brown. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 full minute to cook out the raw taste.
- Pour in the milk a little at a time, whisking after each addition so no lumps form, then add the broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring often, and cook for 5 minutes, until the soup lightly coats the spoon.
- Fold in the potato chunks and the chopped skins with a wooden spoon. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. For a thicker soup, press a few chunks against the side of the pot with the spoon. Do not whisk and do not blend.
- Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the cup of cheddar a handful at a time until melted, then the sour cream. Taste and add salt if it needs it.
- Ladle into bowls and top each with more cheddar, a spoonful of sour cream and green onions.
Tips that make the difference
- Bake the potatoes without foil. Foil steams them, and a steamed potato is no better here than a boiled one.
- Never use a blender, an immersion blender or a mixer on this soup. Working potato starch hard is exactly what makes it gluey.
- Keep the heat gentle once the milk is in. A hard boil can scorch the bottom and make the milk separate.
- Add the cheese and the sour cream off the heat. Both turn grainy if they boil.
- Bake a few extra potatoes with supper the night before and the soup takes 20 minutes the next day.
Variations
- Broccoli cheddar. Stir in 2 cups of small steamed broccoli florets with the potatoes.
- Extra rich. Replace 1 cup of the milk with half-and-half.
- Smoky. Add 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika with the flour and top with crispy fried onions.
- Vegetarian. Use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth.
Storage and make-ahead
Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 4 days. The soup thickens a great deal as it chills.
Reheat gently over low heat, stirring, with a splash of milk or broth to loosen it. Do not let it boil.
Freezing is not recommended: milk-based potato soups turn grainy when thawed. The baked potatoes themselves freeze well, so freeze those and make the soup fresh.
Frequently asked questions
Why bake the potatoes instead of boiling them?
Baking concentrates the flavor and leaves the starch dry and fluffy. The soup tastes like a baked potato and thickens without turning into paste.
Why did my potato soup turn gluey?
The potatoes were overworked, usually with a blender, a mixer or hard whisking. Break baked potatoes up with a fork and fold them in gently, and it cannot happen.
Can I bake the potatoes in the microwave?
In a pinch, yes: 10 to 12 minutes, turning once. The flavor is milder and you lose the crisp skins, so finish them in a hot oven for 10 minutes if you can.
How do I make it thicker or thinner?
For thicker, mash a few chunks against the side of the pot or simmer a few minutes longer. For thinner, stir in warm milk or broth a little at a time.
Put the potatoes in the oven before you do anything else, and the rest of the soup is twenty quiet minutes at the stove.
Loaded Baked Potato Soup (Oven-Baked Potatoes, Thick and Creamy, Never Gluey)
A steakhouse-style loaded baked potato soup made with potatoes that are baked in the oven first, broken into a creamy milk and broth base with some of the crisp skins, and topped with cheddar, sour cream and green onions.
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes, about 3 pounds in all
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- Sour cream
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees (200°C). Scrub the potatoes and dry them well. Prick each one a few times with a fork, rub with the oil and the coarse salt, and set them directly on the oven rack.
- Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until the skins are crisp and a knife slides into the center with no resistance. Let them cool until you can handle them.
- Cut the potatoes in half and scoop the flesh into a bowl in rough chunks. Break it up lightly with a fork; leave plenty of pieces. Chop the skins of two of the potatoes into small bits and keep them.
- Melt the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring, until soft but not brown. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 full minute to cook out the raw taste.
- Pour in the milk a little at a time, whisking after each addition so no lumps form, then add the broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring often, and cook for 5 minutes, until the soup lightly coats the spoon.
- Fold in the potato chunks and the chopped skins with a wooden spoon. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. For a thicker soup, press a few chunks against the side of the pot with the spoon. Do not whisk and do not blend.
- Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the cup of cheddar a handful at a time until melted, then the sour cream. Taste and add salt if it needs it.
- Ladle into bowls and top each with more cheddar, a spoonful of sour cream and green onions.
