Some people prefer the soup to taste as much like a baked potato with all the fixins as possible. Others use the baked potato soup recipe as a starter and add their own twists like the chili powder, which is what I like to add to give it a little zing. For even more zing, use cayenne instead of chili powder.

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4 baking potatoes (Russet for firmness, Yukon Gold for flavor)
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
4 cups 1% milk
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup chopped chives
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup imitation or lite sour cream
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (Optional)
Bacon bits (Optional)
Chopped broccoli (Optional)
Chili powder (Optional)

1. Preheat over to 400 F.
2. Bake potatoes until you can push a fork in easily, typically about an hour.
3. Scoop out the insides of the potatoes and discard the skins.
4. Melt the butter over medium low heat in a saucepan. Slowly stir in the flour to make a roux, which is like a paste. Once mixed, stir for 1 minute, then slowly pour in the broth.
5. Continue stirring and slowly add the milk.
6. Turn up the heat to medium and stir until the soup mixture begins to thicken.
7. Add the slightly crumbling potatoes, chives, salt and pepper. Stir well and heat for 12-15 minutes.
8. Mix in the sour cream until well blended with the soup.
9. If you like, mix in bacon bits, sauteed chopped broccoli (florets), or chili powder to taste, or serve these as separate condiments in bowls.

Serves 4-6.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 1/2 hours

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