5 carrots

24 oz. bacon

2 tablespoons butter

1 small white onion, diced

64 oz. chicken broth or chicken bone broth

12 oz. can evaporated milk

4-6 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic salt 

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar or a cheddar blend

sliced green onion or chives for garnish if desired

Peel and dice potatoes and carrots into 1/2-1 inch cubes. Set aside. Peel and dice onion.

In a stockpot, cook bacon until crisp. Either fry slices and then crumble when cooked, or dice raw bacon and cook. Remove bacon from pot and reserve. Drain bacon drippings, leaving 1 tablespoon of bacon grease in the pot. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the bacon drippings along with the diced onion. Saute onion until soft. Add peeled and diced potatoes and carrots to the pot, then add the chicken broth or chicken bone broth (for fuller flavor and more protein) and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes and carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Using a potato masher, smash at least half of the potatoes until smooth, leaving some chunks of potato for texture. In a cup or small bowl, whisk the cornstarch into the evaporated milk until smooth. Add to soup mixture, stirring constantly until soup returns to a boil. Continue stirring until soup thickens and reduce heat to low. 

Add garlic salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, yogurt and shredded cheese, stirring frequently to prevent the soup from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add crumbled bacon and remove from heat. Serve with additional shredded cheese, sliced green onions or chives,  and/or reserve some of the bacon crumbles to add to individual portions. 

**Mom's serving suggestion: Hot garlic toast would be wonderful with this hearty soup.**