Creamy Ham and Potato Soup

We went a little crazy this year for Christmas and I've got a lot of extra ham from dinner on my hands.  Along with lots of other things, including stuffing... but that's a story for another day.

Anyhow... One way to re-purpose that extra ham you might have on hand is in this creamy, delicious ham and potato soup.  This recipe calls for heavy cream and I guess you could substitute low-fat milk instead but... it's not 2014 yet so you have a few days to enjoy this the right way before new year's resolutions set in.

Ingredients
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons of butter
1 glove of garlic
3 slices of thick ham, diced
5 potatoes, peeled and chunked
3 cups of chicken stock
3/4 cup of heavy cream
3 tablespoons of flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Cheddar cheese to sprinkle

Preparation
1.  Heat butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until the butter melts.  Add the carrots, onion and celery to the pot.  Cook until tender, about 6-8 minutes and add garlic.  Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2.  Add diced ham to the pot.  Cook until slightly browned, about 5 minutes.

3.  Add the chicken stock and potatoes to the pot.  Bring to a simmer, and cover.  Lower heat to medium low and cook for about 25 minutes until potatoes are tender.  After the 25 minutes, mash potatoes into smaller pieces using a potato masher or fork.  

4.  Combine flour and heavy cream in a small bowl and whisk to get rid of clumps. 

5.  Add flour/cream mixture to the pot and season with salt and pepper.  Whisk to blend in cream base.

6.  Ladle in to bowls, sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese and serve immediately!