Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and mist with cooking spray. Place the corn kernels in a mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Stir to coat and then transfer the corn to the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Place in the oven and roast for about 20 minutes, stirring the corn every 6-7 minutes, until the corn is browned.

While the corn is roasting, place the chopped bacon in a soup pot or dutch oven and bring over medium heat. Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a stack of paper towels to drain. Reserve 2 teaspoons of the bacon grease and discard the rest. Return the 2 teaspoons of reserved grease to the pot and keep at medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and stir into the grease. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes until the onions are tender. Add the broth, potatoes and paprika and stir together to combine. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes until the potatoes are softened.

Add half of the roasted corn from step one to the pot and stir together. Either use an immersion blender directly in the pot or transfer the soup in batches into a full-size blender to blend the mixture until smooth. Return all soup to the pot if using a traditional blender and add the remaining roasted corn, the half and half and the parsley. Stir together and continue to heat on low for a few more minutes until the soup is heated through. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper if desired. When serving, top each (1 1/8 cup) serving of soup with a quarter of the cooked bacon pieces.