Ham and Potato Soup

This is a thick soup, which is great for a cold winter day.

Ingredients:
6 medium (or 8 small) raw potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups of PORK broth
4 green onions, diced
1 cup of cooked ham, diced
2 cups of half and half
5Tbsp Butter
4Tbsp corn starch

Optional:
Shredded Cheese
Fried Bacon

1. Place diced potatoes into crockpot with pork broth. Set on HIGH and cook for 2 hours and 30 minutes.


2. During this time, you can cook the bacon and set to the side if you are going to use it as a garnish.

3. Cook your ham and dice into small cubes. I use a "ham steak" from Smithfield. I cook it on the stove, 5 minutes each side.


4. Melt 5Tbsps of Butter in a saucepan, adding the 4Tbsps of corn starch slowly and whisking together.


5. Mix in the half and half, 1 cup at a time. Pour into soup.


6. Turn the crockpot down to medium

7. Chop green onion. Add it and ham to soup.


8. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes

10. Serve soup into bowl. If you would like, garnish the soup with shredded cheese and crumple the cooked bacon on top.

How to Make Ham Stock

Ingredients

• Ham Bone w/some meat attached
  
• 1 small onion
• 4 bay leaves
• 12 whole peppercorns
• Parsley flakes or sprigs
• Enough water to cover the ham bone (in my pot, this is one gallon)
  
• OPTIONAL ingredients: Carrots and celery
  

1. Put together your stock pot (or crock-pot. Whichever you are using) and add ALL ingredients



2. Bring stock to boil, slowly stirring

3. Reduce to simmer for 4 hours

4. Remove the bone, onion, peppercorn, and leaves

(this is all that should be left to cool)


5. Let cool until "skin" forms on top, then skim the fat off

(nasty, isn't it?)

6. Pour into freezer safe Tupperware and mark with todays date. Good for 6 months!



This recipe makes 11 cups. I use it when I make Ham and Potato soup, and it comes out so much better with ham stock.