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Green soup bowl filled with Ham Chowder accompanied by a tomato sandwich

Creamy Ham and Potato Chowder

Rich, flavorful and filling Creamy Ham and Potato Chowder makes great use of leftover ham. Serve with bread, rolls, biscuits, or sandwich of choice.
Course Soup
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword chowder, ham, ham and potato chowder, potato
Servings 6
My Island Bistro Kitchen My Island Bistro Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/3 cup carrots, diced into ¼“ pieces
  • 1/3 cup celery, diced into ¼“ pieces
  • 2/3 cup onion, diced into ¼“ pieces
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¾ lb raw waxy potatoes (e.g., Norland Reds, Yukon Golds), peeled and diced into apx. ¼“ – 1/3” cubes
  • 1¼ cups chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups whole milk, room temperature
  • 1½ cups cooked ham, diced into apx. ¼“- 1/3” cubes
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • ¼ tsp dried dillweed
  • ¼ tsp paprika
  • Pinch cayenne (optional)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 2 oz (58g) shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1½ oz (42g) shredded Gruyère cheese
  • ¼ oz (8g) finely grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Pre-prep: Bring milk and sour cream to room temperature. Dice and measure carrots, celery, onions, ham and potatoes. Mince the garlic cloves. Shred the Cheddar and Gruyère cheeses; grate the Parmesan cheese. Measure out all ingredients.

  2. Heat olive oil in medium sized skillet over medium heat. When skillet is hot and the oil is starting to shimmer, add the butter. Once the butter has melted, reduce heat slightly and add the celery and carrots. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 4-5 minutes then add the onions, cooking for about 4-5 minutes longer, or just until onions become transparent and the carrots and celery are softened. Add the minced garlic and stir briskly for about 20 seconds. Do not let garlic scorch.
  3. While the vegetables are cooking, par-cook the diced potatoes, covered, in 1¼ cups chicken stock. Bring the potatoes to a boil over medium-high heat then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 5 minutes. Do not completely cook the potatoes as they will cook more when added to the chowder. The potatoes are par-cooked when the tip of a pare knife can be inserted into a potato cube but still meets with resistance. Drain potatoes, reserving the chicken stock in which they were par-cooked.
  4. Heat 2 tbsp butter over medium heat in medium-sized stockpot. Reduce heat slightly and transfer the mirepoix (carrots, celery, and onion) and garlic to the stock pot and sprinkle flour over mixture. Stir briskly for a few seconds. Slowly add and stir in the reserved chicken stock from par-cooking the potatoes until mixture starts to thicken. Slowly stir in the milk and bring mixture just barely to the boiling point, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Immediately reduce heat to medium-low and add the par-cooked potatoes, diced ham, and seasonings. Cook for approximately 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, adjusting and reducing heat if necessary.
  5. Add the sour cream and cheese(s). Stir until cheese has melted and blended in. Ladle into soup bowls, serve, and enjoy.

Recipe Notes

Yield: Apx. 6-8 servings

NOTE: All one variety of cheese (e.g., Cheddar cheese) can be used in this recipe; however, the mixture of cheeses called for in the recipe do certainly contribute to great flavor of the chowder.

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