Sunday, April 4, 2010

Ham and Potato Soup
















My Venture into Simplicity

Aaaaah. Spring is my favorite season. The days are longer. Flowers are blooming and the birds are singing. Spring has always been a time of renewal and rebirth. I have been getting tired of the look of my blog so, in the spirit of spring, I decided to freshen it up a bit.

You'll notice a new header at the top of my blog. I've also added a navigation bar at the top so you can more easily search for ingredients or recipes by clicking in the search field in the upper-left part of the page. I've made my blog about 20% wider so there is less dead space in the left and right margins and the background color is no longer white but rather a greyish blue. I'm not into "busy" webpages that have a lot of extraneous images and patterns. As with my cooking and recipes, I appreciate simplicity the most.

Today's recipe is so quick and easy-to-make but tastes SO GOOD. Isn't it interesting that the simpliest of ingredients can make the best tasting food? Ham and potato soup is really inexpensive to make. I used leftover ham and the rest of the ingredients I either had on-hand or were very inexpensive to buy. Simple, wholesome, inexpensive, and great-tasting. That's my kind of cooking!

Leave a comment and let me know how you like the new look my blog. Enjoy the Ham and Potato Soup – and enjoy the beauty of spring!

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Ham and Potato Soup
(Printable Version)

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
6 TBSP butter, divided use
1 1/2 bunches scallions (white and light green parts), chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 c diced cooked ham
3 1/2 c water
2 TBSP chicken bouillon granules
1/2 tsp black pepper
5 TBSP flour
2 c half-n-half
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional garnishes: Freshly grated cheddar cheese, scallion tops, and cooked bacon pieces

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of butter. When melted, add the scallions, garlic, and ham. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the potatoes, water, bouillon, and pepper. Cover and crank up the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. When boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 12 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

While the potatoes are simmering, in a separate saucepan, melt the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When melted, add the flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the half-n-half. Once the mixture comes to a simmer, cook about 3 minutes, whisking often.

When the potatoes are tender, add the half-n-half mixture to the dutch oven and stir. Allow the mixture to return to a simmer then cook 2 minutes longer. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. If the mixture is too thick, add a little water. If it is too thin, cook a few minutes longer.

Ladle the soup into a bowl and top with any optional garnishes such as freshly grated cheddar cheese, scallion tops, and cooked bacon pieces.

23 comments:

  1. Hey blog buddies! Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

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  2. Vince,
    I'm liking the new layout and search options!
    And I have to comment on the delicious bowl and plate set you used for your soup photo....Loooove those! Would look terrific with my new kitchen decor :)

    Happy Spring!
    Joy
    saint68 at TK

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  3. Love the look of the new blog,It's really clean and crisp! Did you photograph those blueberries??

    I love potato soups and this one sounds delicious with the ham.

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  4. Love it! I love potato soup and am always on the lookout for a good and easy recipe. Thanks so much

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  5. The blueberries look good enough to eat right off the screen! :) I really like the blue/gray color; sometimes white is just to harsh on the eyes.

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  6. Love the new look! And that soup looks fine to me! Well... except that, for cultural/religious reasons, I don't eat pork, but I think I could give it a try with smoked goose breast (very popular here).
    Cheers!

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  7. Alas, the picture of the blueberries was not mine. I used PhotoShop to make them look just right. I chose blueberries for the header pictures because I was hungry for them. I'm glad I wasn't hungry for moose or something! Otherwise, Bullwinkle would have been in the header image! :-)

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  8. Hey, don't cha be talking bad about Bullwinkle!

    Okay, seriously, I like it Vince. I adore blueberries! The pix is great and you did an awesome job.

    Oh, and the soup sounds pretty good!

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  9. This soup sounds delicious Vince! I've been looking for a good potato soup.

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  10. I'm a fairly new reader and came over here because of your goulash recipe on Tasty Kitchen (which I manipulated a tiny bit to make it taste like the goulash I grew up eating)! I love the new look. I also am not a fan of blogs that are too bright or busy and try to keep mine really mellow and sparse.

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  11. Your blog is beautiful and your recipes and stories are fantastic. Keep up the good work!

    Jo

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  12. I've got a question about half n half. I never have it in my fridge, but I always have heavy whipping cream, 2% and skim milk. Can you tell me how to make a substitute? Thanks in advance.

    Jo

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  13. Contrary to common belief, half-and-half is not half heavy cream and half milk. Half-and-half has a butterfat of 12.5%. There is no set standard in the U.S. for heavy cream, which can range from about 36% to 40% butterfat. Don't worry about all of that though. This recipe works "OK" with all 2% milk (and no half-and-half or cream) – making a very healthful soup that is, albeit, a little lacking in flavor. This recipe will work with all heavy cream but it is quite heavy and a lot more fattening. I compromise by using half-and-half. You could certainly use 1 cup of 2% milk and 1 cup of heavy cream and it would be great but that would have roughly 20% butterfat in comparison to 12.5% in half-and-half. I say go for it!

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  14. Thanks, Vince. I think I'm going to try 1 1/2 cups 2% and half a cup of cream. By the way, your green bowl and platter are beautiful!

    Jo

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  15. It was delicious! I made it using fat free half and half and it was still creamy and very filling!Thanks for the recipe.

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  16. Really good Soup! I pretty much followed the recipe exactly except that I ran out of cream and used some 1% milk and I also used some homemade chicken stock instead of water. I served with skillet corn bread. So Good!!!
    I meant to serve it with cheddar cheese, but totally forget. We didn't miss the cheese at all. Thanks for the recipe!

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  17. This soup looks delicious, I'm going to make it after I go to the store. How many does this serve so I can plan my grocery list?

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  18. Jackie -- If I had to give the number of servings, I would say 4. If it is the only thing being served, I would say 4 is a good estimate. If this is first course, I would say 6 to 8 would be a better estimate. I normally serve it as a meal and people always seem to ask for seconds. Enjoy!

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  19. I ADOREEEEE the bowls, can you please let me know the maker and pattern and where you you got it if you recall? Oh and the soup is amazing too!! Thanks.
    mmiljanic@hotmail.com

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  20. I'm glad you liked the bowl! I got the bowl (and matching platter) at Pier 1 in Wichita, KS. The bottom of the bowl says it's made exclusively for Pier 1 and the collection is called "Lacey". I looked on Pier 1's website but couldn't find it (maybe you'll have better luck). The bowls are earthenware and are made in Portugal. I hope this helps!

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  21. I think your blog looks great! I just found you yesterday through Tasty Kitchen (I'm lybrarygirl over there). I'm looking forward to trying several of your recipes!

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  22. Vince, I'm not sure if you still see comments made on your old blog but had to tell you again thanks for this recipe. First batch of the cold weather and it always makes me think of you!

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  23. I'm still reading all of the comments. I love soups like this during the fall/winter. It's a perfect way to use up leftover ham during the holidays.

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