INGREDIENTS:

Lazy Baked Potato Soup

Doncha just love anything with the word "lazy" in it?  

I love Baked Potato Soup, but when I get a craving for it the thought of having to bake a potato first, before even beginning to make the soup, is such a turn off that it just never happens.  Baked Potato Soup has, until now, always been an unrequited desire. 

So here's a great recipe hack - roast the potato skins while you're making the soup!  It's the skins that produce that wonderful baked potato aroma anyway, and this saves heaps of time because they roast in a jiffy and you can make the soup in the meantime.  The you add the beautifully, earthy skins to the soup towards the end to infuse and you have a scrummy baked potato soup in less than half the time!

Ooooh, 'oim a good gal oi am!  (What movie's that from, then???)

PREPARATION:

SERVINGS: 1

PREP-to-MOUTH: 30mins

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Oven OR Oven Toaster + Whisk OR Potato Masher

**Mother Me delivers a ready made soup**

Prepare the potatoes:

• Using a new wire scrub or scratchy washing up sponge, scrub the skins of the potatoes to remove any visible signs of dirt.
• Peel potato, saving the peel in a bowl.
• Dice potato into small cubes and add to saucepan.
  
• Drizzle a little olive oil onto potato skin, sprinkle with salt and toss to coat.
• Arrange the potato skin in a single layer on a baking tray, and set aside.

Make your soup:

• Dice onions into fine dice and add to the saucepan with your potatoes.
• Chuck in the butter, season potato and onions with salt & pepper and turn on the heat to high.
• When the butter has all melted, stir to coat all the vegetables nicely and then turn the heat down to low and put the lid on. This "sweats" the vegetables,cooking them and nicely drawing out the flavours.

Prepare the potato peel:

• Turn your oven on to 180°C, or the oven toaster on to high, and preheat.
  
• Put the potato skins in the oven/oven toaster on the top shelf and bake for 10 mins. Check frequently because cooking time will vary depending on how thick/thin the potato peel is.
  
• The potato peels are ready when they release that lovely earthy aroma, and look crisp and golden brown.
  
• When they are ready, remove from oven and set aside.

Cook your bacon while waiting for the potato skins:

• Cut bacon into matchsticks.
• Add the fattiest piece to a dry frying pan with the heat turned up high.
  
• When the fat starts to melt and render, add the rest of the bacon and fry until crisp.
• Drain on kitchen towels and set aside.

Return to your soup:

• The potatoes should be nicely cooked by now - you should be able to squish them with your cooking spoon.
• Mash the potatoes using a potato masher or a whisk, adding a little milk to make it easier. It will be a bit lumpy because of the onions, but that doesn't matter.
• Turn the heat back up, add the milk and most of the potato skins. Save a couple of pieces for garnish, crumbling up the rest and adding to the soup.
• Bring everything up to a gentle bubble then allow to simmer for 5 mins to infuse the potato skins.
• Keep stirring the potatoes, breaking them up and blending into the milk until you have a nice, thick soup.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.