Chili's Baked Potato Soup (Copycat Recipe)

0 Wash and peel potatoes. Cut potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Then, soak them in a large bowl of water for 5 minutes.
1 Cook bacon in a large stock pot (or Dutch Oven) until crispy. Remove the bacon and reserve 2 Tbsp of bacon grease for making the roux.
2 In a large pot on medium-low heat, melt butter with the 2 Tbsp of bacon grease. Once bacon is melted, slowly stir in flour then reduce to a low heat. Cook flour for 5 minutes until it's golden brown.
3 Turn back up to a medium-high heat and slowly stir in chicken stock. Then, slowly add in 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream. Soup should start to thicken.
4 Add in potato cubes, salt and pepper. Mix and bring to a low boil. Then, turn the soup down to a simmer. Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes or fork tender.
5 After 20 minutes, take 1/2 cup of cooked potatoes and 1/2 cup of heavy cream and puree in a blender. Add this puree into the soup and stir.
6 Add in 1 cup of cheddar cheese and cook until melted. Top with crumbled bacon bits, chives and cheddar cheese and serve with a large spoon!