Loaded Potato soup

The holidays are upon us and if your house is anything like mine, you will soon have plenty of leftovers. I always over-buy things like potatoes, veggies, herbs and cheeses, and of course there's usually plenty of ham or bacon laying around this time of year. I love gathering up all those extras and making this absolutely delicious potato soup. It lets you take a break from the traditional leftovers or it'll pair great with a ham or turkey sandwich, and it is perfect for these cold fall days.

Ingredients:

2-4 cups of leftover holiday ham or 5-10 pieces of bacon, diced

1 Large onion, diced

6 Cloves of garlic minced

1-2 Large carrots shredded

3-4 celery stalks, diced

5-6 Medium sized potatoes peeled and cut into bite sized pieces ( you can even save the peels and fry them! Makes a great topper for the soup)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 Teaspoon garlic powder

1 Teaspoon onion powder

1 Tablespoon dried parsley or some fresh parsley, chopped

1 Teaspoon dried Thyme ( or if you have fresh thyme from holiday cooking use that )

3/4 Cups flour

3 Cups chicken broth

4 Cups whole milk

1 Cup of cream

2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese ( more for topping)

1/2 cup sour cream

Spring onions for topping

Directions:

1. If using bacon, sauté it a large pot over medium heat until mostly cooked. If using ham, sauté it in a couple tablespoons of butter for about 5 minutes.

2. Add onions, celery, carrots, and garlic

3. Sauté for about 5 minutes until veggies have softened

4. Add potatoes and seasonings to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often

5. Add flour and stir well until flour is incorporated,

6. Add broth and milk stirring well making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot

7. Stir often while you bring the mixture to a boil, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot so nothing sticks

8. Once bubbling, lower to a medium-low and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring well every 5 minutes

9. Once potatoes are tender, add cream and cheese to the soup and mix well

10. I like to top the soup once in the bowl with cheese, sour cream, and green onions but if you prefer, you can mix the sour cream into the pot of soup.

11. Remove from heat and enjoy!

*Fried potato skins make a great soup topper! Simply fry them in oil until crisp!

You can watch a step-by-step tutorial of how to make this soup ( and broth from scratch) at the link below:

https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE4MTg0MTUxNDk3MDIyMDQx?story_media_id=2477324879050143334&igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=