Staying on lock down during COvid-19 has its advantages! One is that our freezer is getting cleared out! No kidding – I have food in there from a year ago!

In one of those freezer bags I found ham. I defrosted it and decided to use what I had in the house – potatoes, carrots, onions. Ham and potato soup! But I wanted something thick, not a soup, and not a casserole but something I could cook in the crock pot.

The internet didn’t disappoint! I found a recipe that was 5 stars across the board! The recipe came from Dinner then Dessert and I adapted it to my version.

Try this recipe with your leftover ham from Easter dinner!

First I checked out my potatoes. I had six red skinned potatoes. They weren’t looking very good. So I googled “can you eat potatoes that have sprouts?” I hate to waste anything and especially now, during the Corona virus, when I can’t leave the house to go food shopping. My husband and I are over 60, in a higher risk category. Google told me they were edible!

I removed those sprouts, left the skin on, then washed the potatoes and cut them into cubes.

Next I took 4 carrots, peeled them and cut them up as well. I learned from my son, Chef Kevin, that vegetables like potatoes and carrots should be cut in similar sizes. First, it’s aesthetically pleasing and second, they will cook at about the same rate.

I sliced and diced a yellow onion, then I cut the ham up into similar size pieces.

Here’s the ingredients you’ll need:

6 potatoes, cubed

4 carrots, cut in similar size as potatoes

1 medium yellow onion

3 cups ham, cut up

4 cups of chicken broth

Dump all of it into a crock pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. My go-to is Morton Nature’s Seasons. My mom used it all her life and I am following suit! I also added some Italian seasoning because, well, I’m Italian. It’s a combo of oregano, parsley, thyme, rosemary and other herbs.

If you’re in a hurry, set the crock pot on high 4-6 hours. Since I don’t think about dinner at 10:00 in the morning, I am usually getting a late start! If I’m REALLY pressed for time, I cover the lid with aluminum foil. This keeps any steam from escaping and helps speed up the cooking time. Otherwise, cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Here’s the best part! It’s what makes the soup thicker and heartier. When the soup is almost finished, right near the four hour mark, gently mash up the potatoes. I left lumps because that’s how I like it, but mashing the potatoes helps the soup get thicker.

Then add these ingredients for thickening the soup:

1/4 cup of corn starch

1 cup of milk. I used Evaporated canned milk but you could use heavy cream or whole milk.

1/2 cup of sour cream. This is the magic ingredient that adds to the taste and the texture!

Leave in crock pot another 15 minutes or so. Then serve and enjoy!

The Italian Grandmama is a mom, grand-mom and wife who cooks because she loves her family and she loves to feed them!

Let me know how it goes if you make this recipe! It’s especially wonderful on a winter evening. Gather the family around on Sunday and mangia!

Angela DiCicco

The Italian Grandmama

theitaliangrandmama@gmail.com

theitaliangrandmama.com

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