This is one I have been making for many years (as you can see by the date of the article). It is so simple and sooooo goooood. Cheese-Potato Soup The Mother Earth News editors November/December 1975 Working outside all day in windy, near-zero weather can leave a person chilled through and through. A deep bath, hot enough to relax cold-clenched muscles, will help cure an individual of this condition - but only a properly heroic prescription will fill that big, icy, gap where his or her stomach should be. The following midwestern farm recipe for Cheese-Potato Soup is one such formulation that does the latter job admirably. For two moderately congealed people (or one suffering from an absolutely frightening case of the Cold Robies), peel and boil two slightly-larger-than-medium potatoes. Drain the tubers when they're done and save the liquid in which they were cooked. Then mash the potatoes well, add the water they were boiled in (and more liquid if necessary), and salt and pepper to taste. Next, brown 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons of flour in 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter (by stirring the flour and butter constantly, you can turn them a rich, golden color without burning them at all). Add the browned mixture to the potatoes and water and stir the whole savory solution as you boil it together for two or three minutes. Finally, cut a good-sized chunk of longhorn or mild cheddar cheese into enough small pieces to fill a big soup bowl one-third full. Cover the cheese with the thick, bubbling potato-butter-flour ambrosia, dice a quarter slice of onion on top of each serving and sprinkle a few drops of vinegar over all. Break out the spoons and crackers and eat it hot! This simple but robust one-dish meal is guaranteed to warm you from the inside out. This post was edited by walnutcreek on Wed, Jan 23, 13 at 12:38

I have a recipe for Loaded Baked Potato Soup that's lower in calories. It's from the Hungry Girl's 300 cal cook book. Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup Per serving (1/5 of recipe, about 1 cup with toppings): 130 calories, 1 g fat, 56 mg sodium, 226 carbs, 2g fiber, 2.5g sugars, 7.5 g protein Soup 1 large potato (about 14.5 oz) 2 tbsp chopped onion 1/2 tsp minced garlic 3 cups fat-free chicken broth (I use homemade) 1 cup fat free milk or plain soy milk 1/4 cup ap flour 2 tbsp shredded fat-free cheddar cheese 2 tbsp fat-free sour cream 1 tbsp precooked real crumbled bacon 3/4 tsp garlic powder 3/4 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper Toppings 5 tsp shredded fat-free cheddar cheese 5 tsp fat-free sour cream 5 tsp diced scallions 2 1/2 tsp precooked real crumbled bacon Pierce potato with a fork in multiple places, and then place it on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 8 to 10 minutes, until potato is soft. Once cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin. Mash the potato pulp with a fork and set aside. Bring a medium pot sprayed with nonstick spray to med-high heat on the stove. Add chopped onion and minced garlic and cook for 1 to 2 mins, until onion has softened. Add broth and milk. Slowly add the flour, continuously stirring until it has completely dissolved. Add mashed potato and stir until blended. Add all the other ingredients for soup. Mix well, reduce heat and simmer for 2 mins. Top each serving with 1 tsp each of cheese, sour cream and scallions. Sprinkle each serving with 1/2 tsp crumbled bacon. Enjoy. I make this all the time. Love, love it!! Lind

Been using this recipe for years. In fact, it's on the menu for sometime this week. Baked Potato Soup 2 medium potatoes (about 2 cups chopped) 3 tablespoons butter 1 cup diced white onion 2 tablespoons flour 4 cups chicken stock 2 cups water 1/4 cup cornstarch 1 1/2 cups instant mashed potatoes 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon basil 1/8 teaspoon thyme 1 cup half and half Garnish 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon 2 green onions, chopped (green part only) 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake the potatoes or 1 hour or until done. When potatoes have cooked remove them from the oven to cool. 2. As potatoes cool prepare soup by melting butter in a large saucepan, and sauté onion until light brown. Add the flour to the onions and stir to make a roux. 3. Add stock, water, cornstarch, mashed potatoes, and spices to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. 4. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out contents with a large spoon. Discard skin. Chop baked potato with a large knife to make chunks that are about 1/2-inch in size. 5. Add chopped baked potato and half-and-half to the saucepan, bring soup back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer the soup for another 15 minutes or until it is thick. 6. Spoon about 1 1/2 cups of soup into a bowl and top with about a tablespoon of shredded cheddar cheese, a half tablespoon of crumbled bacon and a teaspoon or so of chopped green onion. Repeat for remaining servings. Serves 6 to 8.

Leave it mushy and call it vichyssoise, they'll never know the difference. :) Seriously though, I don't know why your potatoes are falling apart if you've tried red ones; usually they hold their shape better than russet. Maybe it's the length of time cooking? I don't know that mushy is a bad thing, though, for potato soup. Anyway, here is how I make it. No set amounts for anything, and it's very simple due to various family members objecting to various ingredients. lol. My extremely picky 8-year-old loves this. By the way, I usually use yellow potatoes because that's what I keep on hand (since they are pretty multi-purpose). Slice a couple of leeks (white part). Saute in 1-2 tbsp of butter in a pressure cooker, or regular pot if you prefer. Add a couple lbs potatoes, peeled and cut up. Pour in a box of chicken broth (or your own). Add water to cover the potatoes by an inch or so. Salt and pepper to taste. Pressure cook for 10 min, or regular cook for however long it takes potatoes to get soft. Mash a bit with a potato masher. Serve hot with desired toppings. Note: I used a stick blender on it once but most of the family preferred the texture with the potato masher. Also you can add some milk at the end to make it creamy, but I started leaving it out at DH's request and it's good that way too. We like to add cheese, plain yogurt (or sour cream), and sometimes broccoli at the table.