I whipped up this Potato, Mushroom, and Ham Soup to ward off the chills earlier this week.
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.
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
- Preheat a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon oil and crisp the ham, about 30-45 seconds per side
- Add 1 tbsp butter and saute the onion, carrots, and mushrooms until tender, about 8 minutes. Remove and keep.
- Add remaining 4 tbsp butter, melt and whisk in the flour to make a roux.
- 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.
- Bring to a simmer, add the potatoes, salt, peppers, garlic, and thyme. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the carrots, onion, and mushrooms. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove the thyme stems, as the leaves should have mostly fallen off by now.
- Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- Taste, add salt and pepper as desired.
