Potato Ham Chowder

Soup is a wonderful thing. I know a lot of people associate soups with cold weather, and while that is definitely warranted, it's not my view. Don't get me wrong, there are few things more enjoyable than coming in from the cold to a warm, delicious bowl of soup. It's fantastic, but I love to turn to soup for comfort. When I've had a long, or bad, or both day, I take comfort in the fact that I can make a big pot of something warm and creamy to enjoy. This soup was no exception.                                                                                             I got to use another new, to me, ingredient in this recipe! Ham steak! It made everything go smoothly due to being already cooked. All I had to do was dice the amount that I needed. This particular steak provided way more than I needed so I save the rest for ham sandwiches later in the week. So, let's make some soup shall we?

What you'll need:

Melting the butter.

• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1.5 cups frozen corn kernels
• 2 tsp fresh thyme
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3.5 cups milk
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 7 oz ham steak, diced
• salt and pepper, to taste

Between steps 2 & 3.

What you'll do:

Ready to serve!

1. Heat a large skillet over med-high. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy. Set aside on a paper towel lined plate.
2. Melt butter in a Dutch oven, or large pot, over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in corn and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, only a minute or so. Gradually whisk in milk and cook, continuously whisking, until slightly thickened, and 1-2 minutes. 
4. Stir in potatoes.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 12-15 minutes. Stir in ham, salt and pepper. 
6. If you feel your chowder is too thick you can slowly add milk as needed.
7. Serve immediately, garnished with the bacon!

I found this recipe on Damn Delicious, and it was definitely damn delicious. Wonderful for a cold night! I topped mine with some shredded cheddar and it was perfect! 

Bon appetit!

Lauren