"Baked" Potato Soup

I found this potato soup recipe I had copied out of Southern Living's Slow Cooker Cookbook. It looked easy enough and would require little preparation right before the meal. I set the crockpot to high for 4 hours the night before. Refrigerated the whole insert full of soup overnight. Set back to high on Sunday morning and added the cheese & half and half just before leaving for church. It turned out wonderfully. We all loved it!

Ingredients

6 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (~3 and 3/4 pounds)

1 large onion, chopped

3 (14 oz) cans chicken broth (I used 9 chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in 9 cubes water.)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup butter or margarine (this could be omitted I believe)

2 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup whipping cream or half and half (I used the latter)

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (or anything similar), shredded

3 Tbsp chopped fresh chives, optional for topping

Sour cream, optional for topping

4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled (or "fake" bacon bits), optional

Shredded cheese, optional for topping

Directions

Combine first 6 ingredients in a 5 qt slow cooker.

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours or until potatoes are tender.

Mash mixture until potatoes are coarsely chopped and soup is slightly thickened.

Stir in cream, cheese, and chives.

Top with sour cream and bacon and cheese if desired.

Makes 12 cups.