Perfect Potato Soup

We've been having such a cold spell here in NC, but finally the weather is beginning to warm up a little...at least back to normal-for-January temperatures. I like that I live in a state where we get to experience all four seasons. One of my favorite things about winter is making and eating soups! I have finally been able to re-create my grandmother's vegetable beef soup. Buddy's mom gave me a great recipe for a creamy chicken noodle soup. But what I've been wanting this year was Potato Soup.

It must have been on everyone else's minds too, because during these weeks of super cold temps, several of my Facebook friends have been talking about making Potato Soup. So I poked around on the Internet looking for Potato Soup recipes. I found several that sounded good except for one item here or there. So I took the good parts of the recipes and played around until I found a combination that sounded good to me.

Perfect Potato Soup
3 1/2 cups of cubed potatoes
1/3 cup diced onions
1/3 cup diced celery
3/4 - 1 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
3-4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon salt and pepper (to taste)
5 tablespoons butter/margarine
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1. Combine potatoes, onion, celery, and water to a stock pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on medium heat until potatoes are tender. Add bouillon, salt and pepper.

2. In a separate sauce pan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about a minute or two. Slowly stir in milk, so to not allow flour mixture to clump. Continue pouring until all the milk has been added. Continue stirring for about 4-5 minutes until thick.

3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot. Add ham. Cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately, and add cheddar cheese as a garnish.

I only wish I had gotten a picture of this! It made a large stockpot of soup. There was enough for our family to have for supper the night I made it, enough for me to take for lunch for a couple of days, and I had some left to freeze for another day. This was the best potato soup I think I've ever had. I hope you enjoy it too!