Americans began a love affair with all things Australian in the 1980’s. Paul Hogan, Crocodile Dundee, “shrimp on the barbie” and Outback Steakhouse’s. Maybe because Australia is on the other side of the world from us and seems like such an exotic place to those that have never been. But, something tells me that those examples don’t represent the “real” Australia.
Every March, my family would travel to Sarasota, Florida from Chicago to escape the below-zero temperatures and enjoy the sun and surf. My father discovered the Outback Steakhouse and we would eat there every time we traveled. This was in the late 80’s and Outback hadn’t made it north to Chicago yet. He loved it…the huge steak knives, the fact that the servers would “scoot” you over and take your order sitting in the booth (yes, they used to do that) and, of course, the Bloomin’ Onion. Now there are 1,000 Outback Steakhouse’s worldwide and is owned by Bloomin’ Brands, who also owns Carrabba’s, Fleming’s Steakhouse and Bonefish Grill.
The key to this soup is to bake the potatoes first, chop and add to the chicken broth and cream. The end result is that the soup is actually more of chowder. But it makes the soup a little “lighter”. Well, as “light” as a loaded baked potato soup can be. And make sure to top it with shredded cheddar, bacon and chives for a super satisfying, cold weather chowder. And this recipe makes a lot, too. But it freezes well and it’s dinner for another night!
Serve with Outback Steakhouse’s Gold Coast Coconut Shrimp and Longhorn Steakhouse’s Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 4 very large Idaho potatoes
- 6 oz. thick cut bacon
- 1 stick of unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 6 oz. yellow cheddar, freshly grated
- ¼ cup chives, minced
- 2 TBL sugar
- ½ cup flour
- Celery salt
- EVOO
- Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
Rub the potatoes with EVOO and sprinkle with celery salt. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 ¼ hours. Cook the bacon until extra crispy and reserve the bacon fat. Allow to cool and chop the bacon, set aside. Once the potatoes cool, dice the potatoes, leaving the skin on in ¼ inch dice.
On a med-high heat and in a large stock pot, melt 2 TBL of the reserved bacon fat and the stick of butter. Once melted, add the chopped onion and cook until translucent.
Add the flour and stir, quickly, to make a roux. Make sure not to burn the flour.
Add the chicken broth, whisking quickly, to prevent the roux from being lumpy. Increase heat to high and simmer. Once the chicken stock comes to a simmer, slowly whisk in the heavy cream. Reduce for 10 minutes.
Slowly return the potatoes back to the soup and bring mixture to a simmer again, allowing the potato starch to thicken the soup. Add the sugar, salt, and pepper.
To serve, top with shredded cheddar, bacon, and chives.
Tip: For a desired thicker consistency, add 4 TBL cornstarch slurry, slowly, while heat is on high and soup is in an active simmer. Whisk constantly while the soup is thickening.
Serve with Outback Steakhouse’s Gold Coast Coconut Shrimp and Longhorn Steakhouse's Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Enjoy!
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