Ham & Potato Soup

by Jennifer Bertotti, adapted from allrecipes.com
 

This is a variation of allrecipes.com's recipe - I changed a few things.  I made this on a day when we had 2 foot of snow, and my husband raved about it!!  He said this is definitely a keeper.

Ingredients

•      4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
•      1/3 cup diced celery
•      1/3 cup finely chopped onion
•      3/4 cup diced cooked ham
•      1 cup water 
•      1 can of chicken broth
•      1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
•      5 tablespoons butter
•      5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
•      2 cups milk

Directions

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

   In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.

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

You can also add some shredded cheddar cheese to the top!

Note:  My husband had leftovers the next day, said to just add a little bit of water because the fridge can make it a little thick.