Roasted Garlic-Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 2 slices bacon diced
• 2 pounds baking potato diced
• 1  bay leaf 
• 1 cup carrots diced
• 0.3 cup parsley fresh chopped
• 5  garlic heads whole
• 2  garlic cloves minced
• 1 cup milk 2% low-fat
• 4 cups low-salt chicken broth 
• 1 cup onion diced
• 0.3 teaspoon pepper 
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 

Equipment

• food processor
• frying pan
• sauce pan
• oven
• blender
• aluminum foil

Directions

1. Remove white papery skin from each garlic head (do not peel or separate cloves). Wrap each head separately in aluminum foil.
2. Bake at 350 for 1 hour; let cool for 10 minutes. Separate cloves, and squeeze to extract 1/4 cup of garlic pulp; discard the skins.
3. Cook bacon in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until crisp.
4. Add onion, carrot, and minced garlic, and saut 5 minutes.
5. Add potato, broth, salt, pepper, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender; remove bay leaf.
6. Combine garlic pulp and 2 cups potato mixture in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Return pure to pan; stir in milk, and cook over low heat until thoroughly heated.
7. Remove from heat, and stir in chopped parsley.