Baked Potato Soup

Baked Potato Soup
Nordstrom Friends and Family Cookbook
(Another one from my "Souper" Bowl party)

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 can (49 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
5 large baked Idaho potatoes, flesh scooped from the shell and mashed
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Garnish

½ cup sour cream

½ cup (2 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
¼ cup chopped green onion, including green tops
8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
2/3 cup canned fried shoestring potatoes

In a 6-8 quart saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.  Add the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf, and thyme and sauté, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.  Add the broth, bring to a simmer, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.  The vegetables should be very tender.  Discard the bay leaf.  Add the potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes to blend well.  Stir in the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish each bowl with a dollop of sour cream topped with 1 tablespoon shredded Cheddar, a sprinkling of green onion, and one eighth of the crumbled bacon.  Scatter a generous tablespoon of shoestring potatoes around each bowl and serve immediately.  Serves 8.

*I added a little bacon to the vegetables in the beginning and felt it gave the soup a better flavor.