Potato Soup

I am all about soups this time of year, and with this pregnancy I haven't had much of an appetite, so I've really enjoyed soup. I cooked this last night and thought it was pretty good and easy. This is a crock pot recipe but I ended up putting it on the stove because I didn't want to wait the 6 hours it called for.

Potato Soup:
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped into small pieces
3 Tbsp butter
2 cups onions, chopped
1 cup water
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup water
8 oz bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1 cup half & half
1 1/2 cups instant potato flakes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp basil
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
2 green onions, chopped

Combine the potatoes with enough water to cover in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes and drain. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the onions. Saute until tender. Remove the onions to a bowl using a slotted spoon, reserving the pan drippings. Stir 1 cup water and the flour into the reserved pan drippings. Cook until a roux forms, stirring constantly.

Combine the roux, cooked potatoes, onions, stock and 1 cup water in a slow cooker and mix well. Mix in the bacon, half & half, potato flakes, salt, pepper, and basil, and cook, covered, on low heat for 6 hours. Ladle into soup bowls and top with cheese and green onions.

{I mixed all the ingredients in a big pot, brought it to a boil and then let it simmer until it was thick.}