All hail bacon!

This post might seem to contradict some things I've said in the past about eating healthy. Bacon is full of saturated fat, calories, and sodium. But you know what else it's full of? Happiness. And the USDA recommends happiness as part of a balanced diet.

It is in that spirit that I give you potato cheddar soup with bacon, based loosely on the Epicurious recipe.

Fry half a pound of bacon in a pan. Before you do, though, watch this tutorial. What can't the internet teach you how to do? It must be how W. got through his first term.

Remove the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the grease in the pan. That's right--the basis for this soup is bacon grease.

Chop up one onion and cook it in the grease. Let it get soft. As I've mentioned, I hate an undercooked onion. When it's just about ready, deglaze the pan with some sherry or wine to get all the sticky yummy bits. Then pour the mixture into a soup pot.

Stir 1/4 cup flour into a measuring cup containing 1 3/4 cups water. Then add to the onion mixture, along with 2 cups give or take of chicken broth and a pound of cubed potatoes. Bring to a boil and let simmer until the potatoes are cooked through and the soup is thick and bubbly.

Now here comes the lily-gilding part. Stir in a cup of shredded cheddar cheese or some plain yogurt. Or not. Puree in a food processor if desired, or not. We had it chunky and it was great. At this point you could also chop up the cooked bacon and add it to the soup, but we elected for BLTs instead.

Enjoy!