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1
Prep: Cut the raw bacon into one inch strips.
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2
Slice the sausage into 1/4 inch rounds.
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3
Peel the carrots and finely dice them, the white onions, and the celery.
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4
Peel and dice the potatoes into roughly one inch square chunks.
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5
Finely slice the green onions.
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6
If your cheddar is a block, shred it.
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Put a soup pot on the stove over medium heat and let it warm up empty for a few minutes.
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8
Meanwhile, prepare a plate with a couple of paper towels laid over it, and have a couple more paper towels handy.
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9
Drop the bacon chunks into the soup pot.
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10
Watch out for the sizzle-pop.
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Stir these regularly to keep them from sticking.
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12
Cook them past done, almost to the point of burning.
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13
Turn heat down to medium low and pull the pot completely off the heat.
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14
Remove the bacon, ideally with tongs, and place it on the toweled plate.
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15
Cover with the other paper towels and carefully press down - WITHOUT BURNING YOURSELF - to soak out the grease.
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16
However, retain all of the bacon grease in the soup pot.
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17
The bacon itself can be set aside.
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You won't need it again until serving time.
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19
Put the pot back on the medium-low stove.
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20
Add 1/4 cup of the flour.
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21
Mix it into the grease to form a roux.
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22
Add as much of the rest of the flour as you need to make the roux thick.
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23
Depending on how much grease the bacon put off, you may need more or less flour.
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24
Add the celery, onions, and carrots to the roux.
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25
Mix well, raise the heat back to medium, and cook 3-5 minutes until the veggie juices start to release.
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26
Stir the little bit of liquids into the roux.
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27
Don't let the roux burn.
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28
Decrease heat if need be.
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29
When the roux is thick and bready, reduce heat to medium low and stir about half a cup of the half and half into the roux.
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30
This makes things quite doughy.
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31
Add the potatoes and sausage, then cover them with the rest of the half and half (and milk if you want to thin the broth some).
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32
Add salt and pepper, stir.
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33
Slowly bring the heat up to a boil, then reduce again to a simmer.
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34
Cover it and let it cook for 10-15 minutes.
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35
Stir and unstick the pot a few times throughout.
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36
When you can cut straight through the potatoes easily with a wooden spoon, it's done.
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37
Crush the crispy bacon you made earlier into tiny bits.
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38
Serve the soup in a bowl with cheddar cheese, green onion slices, and the bacon bits as garnish.
