Main Courses
*Janet's Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Honey Baked Ham
Janet brought her A game to this year's HoneyBaked Ham Soup Contest! Her Loaded Baked Potato Soup is the perfect blend of delicious and comforting. The next time you think it feels like soup weather, head to your local HoneyBaked Ham store for a ham bone and break out this recipe!
Ingredients
Honey Baked Ham Bone
1
Yukon Gold Potatoes (peeled and large diced)
3 LBS
Leek or Yellow Onion (small dice)
1
Dried Parsley
1 TBL
Bay Leaf
1
Dried Thyme
1/2 TSP
Shredded Sharp Cheddar
2 1/2 Cups
Half and Half
1/2 Cup
Black Peppercorns
4-5
Sour Cream
To Garnish
Crispy Bacon
To Garnish
Green Onion or Chives (thinly sliced)
To Garnish
Salt
To Taste
Black Pepper
To Taste
Oil
1 TBL
Preparation
Let's begin by making your soup stock. Warm a large stock pot over medium heat. Add 1 TBL of oil to the pot. Add the chopped leek/onion (if using a leek, only use the white part). Cook for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Add parsley, thyme, peppercorns, and the bay leaf to the pot. Stir the ingredients together. Add the hambone to the pot. Fill the pot with 12 cups of water or until the hambone is submerged. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer the contents of the pot for 2-3 hours or until the ham begins to fall off the bone.
Strain the broth. Once ham bone is cool enough to handle, remove good meat from bone to be added back into the soup later or to be used as a garnish.
Add the diced potatoes to the broth. Bring the contents of the pot back to a boil. Boil the potatoes until soft. Strain the broth again. Mash the potatoes. Alternatively, you can add the potatoes to a blender with some of the broth and blend until smooth. If you like your potato soup with a chunkier consistency, leave some of the potatoes unmashed.
Add the half & half to the potatoes. Add broth to the potatoes until you reach your desired consistency for the soup. If you want a thicker soup, use less broth. For thinner soup, use more.
Add 2 cups of shredded cheese to the soup. Warm soup over medium-low heat, stirring often, until cheese is melted. Add more broth or half & half if soup is too thick. If you want to add ham from the hambone to the soup, now is the time (we highly recommend it). Season with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream, sliced green onion, shredded cheese, crispy bacon and HONEY BAKED HAM!!!