Ham and Potato Soup

I love this recipe...so simple but yummy.

3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely diced onion
3/4 cup diced ham (see note)
3 1/4 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste (often not needed)
1 teaspoon black pepper
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups milk (or add some cream if you have it lying around lol)


Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and chicken stock in a stockpot. Bring to a boil and then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly until thick - about 1 minute. Take off the heat. Slowly (very very slowly) stir in the milk so as not to allow lumps to form. Keep stirring and adding until all the milk is incorporated. Continue stirring over medium low heat until it has thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.

Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately

The original recipe says serves 8, but you would have to all be dieting munchkins to feed that many with it. I say make it for 4, or 2...just make it as it reheats well :)



Note: I never have leftover ham so I go to the deli counter and ask them to cut me a slice of deli ham on the thickest setting possible. Then I take it home and dice it. They generally look a bit confused at first until I explain what I am going to do with it!