Baked Potato Soup

2 potatoes
3 tablespoons margarine
2 cups chopped white onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups instant mashed potato flakes
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
8 ounces bacon - cooked and crumbled
2 green onions, chopped


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake potatoes for 1 hour, or until done. Set aside to cool.
Melt butter in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until tender and golden brown. Stir in flour, and cook 5 minutes to make a roux. Pour in chicken stock and water. Add cornstarch and mashed potato flakes. Season with salt, pepper, basil and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove the skin from the cooled potatoes, and discard. Dice the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes, and stir into soup, along with the half-and-half. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thick. Spoon into bowls, and garnish with shredded cheese, bacon and chopped green onion.

I admit that when I make soup, the specific amts on the ingrediant list is more of a suggestion. And I omit at will. Like the potato flakes. I find these to be gross.....so I just added more potatos....I also used 2% milk, and it had to keep warm on the stove for a good while as practice ran 45 minutes long (such is life) this allowed the potato to cook down even more, making a thicker soup. Regardless, most of the crew here ate it. Well, 4 out of 6 and 3 of those LOVED it. Not bad for this house.