Creamy Potato Garlic Soup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds white potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into 1/4″ rounds
• 1 large onion, sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 4 to 6 cloves of garlic, to taste
• 1 cup heavy cream or half & half

For Topping

• sharp cheddar cheese
• cooked, crumbled bacon
• thin slices of cooked ham
• sour cream

Directions

1. Place the sliced potatoes, onion, salt, chicken broth, and garlic into the crock of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours. Near the end of cooking time, test the potatoes by pricking with a fork. They should easily break and fall apart.
3. Remove the lid and puree the soup either with a hand held stick blender, or in a food processor or blender. Puree in small batches to avoid hot splashes of soup.
4. Return the soup to the crock and add the heavy cream. Heat carefully; don’t let it come to a boil.
5. Serve hot, with your choice of toppings. Shredded cheddar cheese and bacon makes a fantastic dish that tastes like your favorite baked potato with toppings!

Yield: eight 1-cup servings.