This is one of my favorite soup's to make in the winter, the sauce is so creamy and delicious and its a great way to use up that leftover ham from Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Creamy Potato Soup
6-7 medium sized potatoes washed and diced (about 7-8 cups, I don't peel them)
3-4 stalks of celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup cooked ham, diced (also tastes great meatless)
2 cups chicken broth (or veggie broth)
2 cups water (or can use all 4 cups of broth)
Salt & Pepper to taste
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
In a large pot combine potatoes, celery, onion, ham, water and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Continue to boil 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
In a saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in 4 tablespoons of flour, forming a gravy paste. Slowly stir in milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumping. Continue to stir and cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. Stir in cheese until melted. Pour cream mixture over potatoes and stir.
Continue cooking over medium heat about 10 minutes or until potatoes are completely cooked. Serve warm.
This soup is also great with carrots and corn (I usually stir in some frozen corn or peas into my kids' bowls to instantly cool the soup down).
