Best Ever Potato Soup

This is another recipe from Taste of Home Holiday Irish Food & Fun book. I made dinner on St. Patrick's Day and everything was pretty much all Irish related. This soup was so delicious. My son said it was his favorite soup. It was easy to prepare and one I will make over and over. I added a few more ounces of cheese. Jimmy helped me prepare the dish - cubed the potatoes and fried the bacon.

Ingredients:

6 bacon strips, diced

3 cups cubed peeled potatoes

1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth

1 small carrot, grated

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 T dried parsley flakes

1/2 tsp each celery seed, salt and pepper

3 T all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

8 oz Process cheese (Velveeta), cubed

2 green onions, thinly sliced, optional

Directions:

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp; drain. Add potatoes, broth, carrot, onion, parsley, celery seed, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Combine flour and milk until smooth; add to soup. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add cheese; stir until cheese is melted and the soup is heated through. Garnish with green onions, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts)