Baked Potato Soup

• 4 large baking potatoes
• 2/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup flour
• 7 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 5 green onions, chopped
• 14 slices bacon, cooked till crisp and crumbled
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

1.	Heat oven to 350F and bake the potatoes until fork tender, about 1 hour.
2.	Melt butter in a dutch oven or stock pot.
3.	Slowly blend in flour with a wire whisk until thoroughly blended.
4.	Cook the roux (flour in butter) until a very pale golden.
5.	Gradually add milk to the roux and season with salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne, seasoning salt (whichever you prefer), whisking constantly.
6.	Cut potatoes in half, scoop out the interior and set aside.
7.	Chop up half the potato peels and discard the remainder.
8.	When milk mixture is very hot, whisk in potato.
9.	Add green onion and potato peels.
10.	Whisk well, add sour cream (low-fat or no-fat are fine, too) and crumbled bacon.
11.	Heat thoroughly.
12.	Add cheese a little at a time until all is melted in. (I don't add the cheese into the soup, I put it in the individual servings)