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This hearty soup, specially requested by a reader, is plenty fattening--but obviously very satisfying and substantial. Serve hot as a meal to 4-6, maybe a salad on the side to cut all the richness. It's great for leftover baked potatoes--in fact, it's practically worth creating those leftover potatoes just to make it.

• 4 large potatoes
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 cups milk
• Concentrated chicken base or bouillon cubes (enough that would make 2 cups of stock) that will go straight into the hot milk without diluting
• 4 green onions, finely chopped, separating the white and the green
• salt and white pepper
• 1/2 - 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• 6 slices bacon, fried crisp
• 1/2 cup sour cream, well stirred

Fry the bacon until very crisp, then drain and reserve until ready to serve the soup. Grate the cheese, mince the green onion, and stir the sour cream--keeping them all separate and on hand, just as you would if you were about to go whole hog on a baked potato.

Heat the milk and butter in a medium saucepan, stirring in the concentrated chicken base or bouillon until dissolved. Stir in the salt and pepper and simmer over low heat.

When the potatoes are done, cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the meat, and put the potato shells back into the oven to crisp. Stir the potato meat into the hot milk mixture--mashing it as you go. Then stir in the white part of the green onion and let simmer.

When ready to serve the soup, heat to a low simmer and stir in the grated cheese. While it's melting, finely chop the crisp potato peels and stir them in. Then stir in the bacon and ladle into individual bowls. Put a dollop of sour cream on top of each serving, give it a swirl, then sprinkle each with a good handful of green onion bits. Serve immediately.