*Janet's Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Honey Baked Ham

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!!!