Ham and Cheesy Potato Chowder

 

Potatoes are foods many generations have grown up on. Van Gogh painted his first masterpiece “The Potato Eaters” in 1885. In this painting, he presented the family of peasants, sitting down and eating their hard-earned meal after a long day out somewhere in the field. The picture is symbolic and the painter here glorifies work and food that man honestly earned. Their faces and their hands were the color of beautiful, dusty potatoes.

As Ireland's main crop, the potato represented the poor farmer's meager livelihood, sustenance, and means of paying rent to the landowner way back in time. The Irish peasants were at risk for both starvation and the loss of their homes and farmland. By 1848, a million people -- about an eighth of the Irish population -- had perished. One and a half million emigrated, mostly to the United States.

Lucky for us potatoes are not one of the shortages we have faced lately. 
We had company and went with an Irish-themed meal. Besides chowder soup, we enjoyed corned beef sandwiches with sauerkraut and a Mini Minty Brownie Parfait (recipe previously posted).https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2022/02/mardi-gras-splurge.html

Note instead of an Oreo cookie as part of the garnish, a Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Minty Square was used. 
Ham and Cheesy Potato Chowder

Recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
• 1 cup each diced sweet onions, carrots, celery
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon. Cajun Seasoning (and yes it really works in this recipe so do not skip plus it is a cooking suggestion from Food Network star Ree Drummond for the soup)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2-1/2 cups chicken stock or broth, low sodium
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1 cup low-fat half and half
• 4 cups Yukon potatoes, diced into small cubes
• 1 cup ham, diced or 3/4 cup bacon cooked crispy and diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Heat oil (or melt butter) in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onions sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic, celery, carrots, thyme and Cajun seasoning. Continue sautéing for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour until combined, and sauté for 1 more minute, stirring occasionally.
• Cover and on medium-low heat sweat veggies with seasonings for 8 minutes. Stir occasionally.
• Uncover and stir in the chicken stock/broth until it is completely combined. Stir in the milk, potatoes, ham or bacon, bay leaf, salt and pepper until combined. Continue cooking uncovered until the mixture reaches a simmer, but not boiling.
• Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally every few minutes so that the bottom of the soup does not burn. (The smaller you dice your potatoes, the faster they will cook.)
• Once the potatoes are soft, give the soup a taste and season with extra salt and pepper if needed. Remove bay leaf and use an immersion blender or regular blender and puree about 3/4 of the chowder mixture and return back to the soup pot.
• Stir in cheese and cook 5 minutes longer.
• Garnish with snipped chives or green onion.