Thank goodness for the comforting nature of creamy Potato & Ham Soup, because this week, I locked myself out of the house. Twice. In the same day.
Did I mention that it was 8:30 in the morning and 23 degrees outside?
On a Sunday?
When all the nice, kind, friendly people, who didn’t lock themselves out of the house, were respectfully at church?
I have to admit…there was a moment where I sat there in complete and utter silence and found myself praying that a miracle would happen. Do you suppose that gets me any brownie points??? Because I have to tell you…, the thoughts that were likely going through my head at the time, were probably not church worthy.
All I know is, that I had that awful, hopeless feeling in the pit of my stomach and all I could think is “What the heck am I going to do now???”
And to think that it all started with a random act of kindness. I swear – it did!
I’d been fighting a combination of the flu/cold all week staying warm inside, and yet, when I looked outside and saw the Hummingbirds struggling to get nectar out of a very frozen feeder, it broke my heart and I felt simply awful for them. So I grabbed a thin coat, dashed out to the garage, grabbed them some food, set my cell phone on the toolbox so I wouldn’t drop it on the concrete outside (why oh why oh WHY did I do that???), stepped out the door and very responsibly shut it behind me. You know, so the car didn’t get out?
Then, I dashed to the patio to feed the Hummers who were chirp, chirp, chirpping to hurry up and feed them (man, they are cranky little buggers when they’re hungry!!!) and turned to scurry inside from the cold.
I hit that garage door going 105 mph expecting to burst through to the warmth inside, only to face plant into the locked door. That was nice. Good solid door. With a doggie door. That I tried to squeeze through. And got stuck. Yea…not a good day.
So…when I finally got rescued by two darling neighborhood girls who made quick work of that doggie door (twice!) and I was finally let in the house (twice!). Did I mention this happened twice?… This creamy and delicious soup was probably the only warm and hearty thing that was going to make me feel better. Packed full of velvety-rich flavor, extra creamy, with a 2:1 ratio of potatoes to ham, it was the perfect finish for that blustery, challenging day!
The recipe doesn’t call for salt, but there’s plenty of salty flavor in the chicken bouillon, so add salt at your own risk. Er…I mean – to suit your exquisite taste. Serve it with a warm crunchy bread, and this meal is definitely nap worthy.
Grab yourself a big bowl, chow down (nom, nom) – savoring every last bite, of course – then, grab yourself a nice glass of wine, light the fireplace and curl up in a soft, fuzzy blanket with a good book and read yourself to sleep!
Or, maybe that’s just my idea of a good time.
p.s. I don’t recommend taking a nice, hot, relaxing bath with a glass of wine after this comforting meal. Don’t ask me how I know that. Please.
Enjoy!
Potato and Ham Soup
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups potatoes peeled and diced (roughly 3 medium-size potatoes)
- 1/3 cup celery diced (roughly 1 celery stalk)
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 1 1/2 cups cooked ham diced
- 3 1/4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon thyme chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic minced
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- green onions for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Add the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water into a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, then continue to cook over medium to medium-low heat until potatoes are tender (but not overcooked), roughly about 8-12 minutes depending on the size of the potato dice. Stir in the chicken bouillon, pepper, thyme and garlic.
- In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat until fully melted. Whisk in flour, one tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly until thick. Add milk slowly to avoid lumps, and stir until all milk has been added. Continue whisking or stirring over medium low heat until thickened (about 4-5 minutes).
- Add the milk mixture into the stockpot with the potatoes and continue cooking until heated through. Top with green onions, if desired.
- Serve immediately.
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