Smashed Potato Soup

Here's the first recipe I'd like to recommend!  This past Sunday night I made my first attempt with a crock pot.  I let my fiance select the recipe and he chose this "Smashed Potato Soup" I showed him the on Better Homes & Gardens website.  Pictures will have to come later as they are on fiance's camera and I don't know where it is, haha.

ingredients: 
3-1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes 
1/2 c. chopped yellow and/or red sweet pepper 
1-1/2 tsp bottled roasted garlic 
1/2 tsp ground black pepper 
4-1/2 c. chicken broth 
1/2 c. whipping cream, half-and-half, or light cream 
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese (4 oz.) 
1/2 c. thinly sliced green onions

garnish: (optional)
sour cream
Sliced green onions
shredded cheddar cheese
bacon bits


directions:
1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine potatoes, sweet pepper, garlic, and black pepper. Pour broth over all.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.
3. Mash potatoes slightly with a potato masher. Stir in whipping cream, cheddar cheese, and the 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions. Makes 8 servings.
To garnish, drop a spoonful of sour cream in the center of each bowl, then top with the green onions, cheese, and bacon bits.

This soup was really hearty and my fiance loves it cold!  This recipe is somewhat different from what was originally post on BHG and I left out the peppers (somewhat accidentally!), but the basic idea is a loaded baked potato as a soup, so I though bacon bits and sour cream were a cute addition to play that up - of course you can leave them off too.

Other recipes for Smashed Potato Soup include chicken and other ingredients, but I think the soup is thick and flavorful enough without a meat addition and its simplicity is kind of the beauty of it!

Try it and let me know what you think!