Ingredients

• 4 Idaho baking potatoes
• ½ Vidalia onion chopped
• 3 chopped garlic cloves
• 1 Tb butter
• ¼ cup flour
• ¾ cup Guinness beer
• 2 cups of half and half
• 2 tsp Worcestershire
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup smoked Gruyere cheese (plus more for topping)
• Cooked and crumbled bacon (bake strips at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, blot with paper towel and then crumble)
• Chopped chives

Instructions

1. Peel and chop 4 Idaho baking potatoes.
2. Boil water in a large soup pan or dutch oven and toss potatoes in—simmer until tender, 20-30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, chop up ½ of a large Vidalia onion with 3 chopped garlic cloves and saute in 1 Tb butter. Stir for about a minute on medium heat until onion and garlic gets light golden in color.
4. Add ¼ cup of flour and stir for one minute.
5. Add ¾ cup Guinness beer, 2 cups of half and half, 2 tsp of Worcestershire, 1 tsp of ground mustard and 1 tsp of kosher salt. Stir until mixture thickens, 3-4 minutes.
6. When potatoes are soft, drain them and set aside 2 cups.
7. Take rest of potatoes and mix with onion/garlic/Guinness mixture. Add one cup of chicken stock.
8. Put soup in blender or food processor in 2 batches (don’t fill too high or blender will explode!) and blend till smooth.
9. Pour soup back into soup pan/dutch oven and add the 2 cups of softened potatoes. Add 1 cup of smoked gruyere cheese shredded. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
10. Top with crumbled bacon, chopped green onions and more gruyere.