Crock pot baked potato soup

Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup

**This is a recipe that was being widely circulated on Pintrest and a friend of mine made it and loved it, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I made some changes along the way, and I think it's actually *better* than the recipe. I found the original to be overpoweringly "oniony" So, here is my version of crock pot baked potato soup.**

NOTE: You MUST use a crock pot that can hold at LEAST 6qts!

Ingredient list:
5lbs baking potatoes (about 7 - 8 medium sized)diced into very small bites - You can peel them or leave the skin on, totally your call.

10 cloves of garlic crushed

7 cups chicken stock

1 cup of milk

1 cup of cream

1/2 a package of cream cheese

1 cup of cheddar cheese

Black pepper

Kosher salt to taste

1 sweet onion finely minced and set to the side


Steps:
Add diced potatoes, garlic, and chicken broth to a crock pot and cook on high for 6 hours

At about 5 hours and 50 minutes, sweat/saute your minced onions with a tablespoon of butter until translucent and then remove the pan from the heat.

Get a medium soup pot and ladle out half the soup (equal parts potato and broth)

Add the sauteed onion and cheddar cheese to the CROCK pot (not the soup pot, this is important!)

In a blender or food processor puree the cream cheese, milk, and cream with some of the soup you set aside. Once it's thoroughly blended, add it back into the CROCK pot. Add the rest of the contents of the soup pot into the blender and puree, then add it back into the crock pot and stir the whole thing well.

Turn the crock pot to warm or low and let it meld for another hour, stir every so often to make sure the cheese is being incorporated

At this point taste your soup and add your salt and pepper to taste.

I suggest serving with shredded cheddar cheese and chopped bacon!

Makes about 10 - 12 servings.