Ham and Potato Soup

Is there anything better on a cold winter day than a big bowl of hearty ham and potato soup? True, there is some close competition from white bean and ham soup. Come to think about it, both versions are at the top of my list.

This recipe is for the potato and ham variety. You can use either a leftover ham bone and some ham from a glazed ham or you can use a meaty ham shank. You could even use a ham hock, but the hocks aren’t as meaty as the shanks, so if you use hocks, you’ll likely need extra ham.

I’m using chicken stock for this soup, along with the broth that the ham bone or shank naturally creates while it cooks. I’m doing this to save time.

If you want to make the soup entirely with the broth that comes from a leftover ham bone, you can easily do that. Just cover the ham bone with water and pot, bring to a simmer, cover and let cook for an hour before starting the recipe.

You could probably also just put the bone in a slow cooker with some water overnight to make some ham stock.

Whether you use chicken stock or not, both methods work fine, you’ll save an hour if you use chicken stock, and you will likely need to add less salt.

Speaking of salt! Potatoes need more than a little salt to taste good. Ham has plenty of sodium. So, good match right? Yes, this is one of the reasons they taste so good together. But you do need to taste and adjust for salt, every time. If the soup seems bland, add salt until it is no longer bland. If the soup is too salty for you, add more potatoes.

Ham and Potato Soup Recipe

You can either make this soup using leftover ham and a ham bone or you can use a meaty ham shank. If you use a ham bone, you'll add the chopped ham at the end of cooking. If you are using a ham shank, after the soup cooks with the ham shank, you'll need to remove it, cut away the meat, chop the meat, and return it to the soup.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 3/4 cup chopped parsnips or carrots
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1 meaty ham bone from a ham, or a meaty ham shank
• 6 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled, and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cups cubed ham (if using a ham bone), 3/4-inch dice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• Salt to taste

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