Saturday, January 6, 2018

Potato, Mushroom, and Ham Soup

This week the temperatures got above freezing for a couple of hours on just one day.  Brrrr!  It's definitely time for stews, chili, and soups.

I whipped up this Potato, Mushroom, and Ham Soup to ward off the chills earlier this week.  

Potato Mushroom and Ham Soup recipe

It is a roux-based soup using leftover ingredients that I had on hand.  We had over-bought for the holidays and needed to use this stuff up anyway.  Soups are perfect for dealing with leftovers.


The thin sliced smoked ham creates a slightly smoky flavor but nothing dominant.  I also add a little cream at the end to make it creamy but not so much that it ventures into "cream of" territory.

recipe for Potato, Mushroom, and Ham soup

I thought about making some croutons but went with some griddled pieces of focaccia bread instead.


Potato, Mushroom, and Ham Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 4 ounce shaved ham
  • 8 ounce Baby Bella (crimini) mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1/2 yellow onion, peeled and diced
  • 5 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 1/4 all purpose flour
  • 1-quart chicken stock
  • 4 russet potatoes, diced (did not peel)
  • 3/4 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp granulated garlic
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Drizzle about 1 tablespoon oil and crisp the ham, about 30-45 seconds per side 
  2. Add 1 tbsp butter and saute the onion, carrots, and mushrooms until tender, about 8 minutes.  Remove and keep.
  3. Add remaining 4 tbsp butter, melt and whisk in the flour to make a roux.  
  4. Add the stock in small batches (a quarter cup or less) while whisking continuously.  Wait to add more stock each time until the roux and stock blend.
  5. Bring to a simmer, add the potatoes, salt, peppers, garlic, and thyme.  Simmer for 20 minutes.
  6. Add the carrots, onion, and mushrooms.  Simmer for 10 minutes. 
  7. Remove the thyme stems, as the leaves should have mostly fallen off by now.
  8. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of heavy cream
  9. Taste, add salt and pepper as desired.