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!