6 to 10 servings

• On using sliced bacon: You can of course start by using sliced bacon and can even hold onto the rendered fat, substituting it for part of the butter called for in the soup recipe. Just reduce your butter accordingly and add it right in!
• On pre-baking your potatoes: Since this recipe uses potatoes that are already baked, you might want to toss a few in the oven the night before to bake them off ahead of time. We peel ours, halve them and put a long slice of butter in the middle. Wrap them in aluminum foil tightly and bake at 400°F for 2 hours or until soft (depending on the size of your potato). Baked, they'll keep in the fridge for a week (easily), so dinner can be ready to go any night of the week!