Creamy Ham and Potato Soup

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The holidays are over. We apologize for our brief hiatus… between spending lots of time with family, catching up with sleep, and some technical difficulties, we haven’t managed to post for a bit. But you can bet now that the new year has officially started, you can expect two posts a week again!

During the holidays, I’m sure you’ve had your fill of ham. If you need something to use up the last of those leftovers, we have got the soup for you!

With plenty of hearty veggies and salty ham, this soup is a crowd pleaser for sure! And you can stretch your leftovers for another week while still mixing it up!

What is your favorite way to use holiday leftovers? Let us know in the comments!

Creamy Ham and Potato Soup

Comfort Foods, Dinner, Holiday, Meals for a Crowd, Meat, Pork, Potatoes, Soup, Vegetable

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 bunch celery, sliced
8 potatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
8 cups ham, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup flour
6-7 cups water
3 TBS chicken base
6 cups milk
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large stock pot, combine carrots, celery, onion and butter. Cook over medium heat until butter is melted and onions become mostly translucent.
Add in potatoes and ham. Cook stirring often, until potatoes are just fork tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Gradually stir in flour until veggies and ham are coated.
In a small bowl, combine 6 cups of water and chicken base. Pour mixture into pot. Bring soup to a boil. Lower heat and add milk, stirring to combine. Add additional cup of water if you would like to thin down the soup.
Taste soup and season to taste.

June 17, 2019June 17, 2019

Roasted Red Potatoes

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Summer parties are coming, and you’ll need a variety of sides in your repertoire for the potlucks. You could bring potato salad or a green salad, or you can mix it up with these delicious roasted red potatoes!

These are so easy, and so delicious! Everyone will beg you for the recipe – make sure to send them our way. 😉

Roasted Red Potatoes

Comfort Foods, Dinner, Meals for a Crowd, Potatoes, Sides, Vegetarian

Roasted Red Potatoes

Ingredients

10 red potatoes
Olive Oil
1/2 TBS creole seasoning
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wash potatoes and cut into 1 inch cubes. Pat potatoes dry and place into a large bowl or freezer bag.
Toss potatoes with enough oil to coat.
In a separate bowl, combine the seasonings. Sprinkle seasonings over prepared potatoes and toss to coat.
Place potatoes on a baking sheet place in the oven. Cook for 40 minutes.
Remove potatoes from oven. Stir and flip, making sure every piece has moved. Place back in oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

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May 20, 2019May 20, 2019

Make Ahead Freezer Hash Browns

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Our family loves breakfast! Every Saturday morning we have to resist running to the nearest fast food place or diner to indulge.

We made it a bit easier on ourselves by cooking up these make ahead hash browns. Then we can fry them up with a side of eggs in the comfort of our own home! Not to mention we can use them in recipes that call for them.

We wait to make these until potatoes go on sale. When we made these up we found 10 pound bags of russets for $1 a piece during a case lot sale! We ended up buying 80 pounds and freezing them in various ways. (We’ve already shared our recipe for make ahead freezer french fries here!)

Make Ahead Freezer Hash Browns

Breakfast, Comfort Foods, Freezer, Potatoes

Make Ahead Freezer Hash Browns

Ingredients

Russet potatoes

Instructions

Preheat oven for 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Thoroughly scrub potatoes. Using a fork, poke several vent holes in each potato.
Bake the potatoes for one hour or until just fork tender. Place potatoes in the fridge until cooled.
Shred potatoes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a cookie cutter or mason jar lid, portion out how much potatoes will be in each hash brown. Shape potatoes into thin oblong ovals.
Place hash browns onto parchment paper in a single layer. Once pan is full, you may put down another layer of parchment paper and another layer of hash browns if needed.
Place sheet into freezer until potatoes are frozen solid – usually overnight. Place frozen hash browns into freezer safe bag. Hash browns are good for up to one year in the freezer.

Using the hash browns in a casserole

We recommend thawing the hash browns in the fridge overnight. Drain any excess liquid, then use as directed in the recipe.

Baking the hash browns

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place frozen patties on a greased cookie sheet in a single layer.
Bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown, flipping them halfway through.

Frying the hash browns

Preheat your deep fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
Fry hash browns for 2-4 minutes or until golden brown.

April 18, 2019April 15, 2019

Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup

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We are potato lovers in this house! When my wife was pregnant that is all she craved (then she ironically developed gestational diabetes, so no more for her!)

Nothing is better on a cool almost spring day than a hearty bowl of potato soup! This classic recipe brings everything you love about a baked potato into a bowl with creamy texture you will love to scarf down!

To make this the ultimate soup, you could really use an immersion blender. It makes is so easy, and saves you the hassle of having to blend it in batches in your standard stand blender. (Though if you love a classic blender, might we recommend Ninja?)

Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Cheese, Comfort, Comfort Foods, Dinner, Meals for a Crowd, Potatoes, Soup

Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients

8 cups of water
4 TBS chicken base
4 lbs red potatoes, chopped into 1″ pieces
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 lb bacon, chopped, cooked, divided – reserve grease
1 1/2 cups of sour cream, plus more for garnish
1 lb cheddar cheese, shredded for garnish
1 bunch of green onion, chopped for garnish

Instructions

Mix water, chicken base, potatoes, onion, 1/2 of cooked bacon, and reserved bacon grease in a 6 QT slow cooker.
Cook for 3 hours on high, then 3 hours on low for a total cook time of 6 hours, stirring occasionally.
Using an immersion blender, blend soup until slightly chunkier than desired texture (we like it a little chunky).
Add in 1 1/2 cups of sour cream and blend to desired texture.
Garnish with remaining bacon, green onion, cheddar cheese, and sour cream.

Want to elevate this soup? We love this “Deluxe” version filled with Parmesan!

April 18, 2019April 15, 2019

Slow Cooker Deluxe Potato Soup

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

As spring gets closer, some of those blustery in between days can get pretty chilly. We’ve had such whiplash between sunny weather and rain/snow that we aren’t ever sure what to prepare.

A good fall back is some soup to warm the soul in the slow cooker so you don’t warm up the house! The ultimate comfort food is the potato, and this soup celebrates it in an elevated way!

We have loved our immersion blender, and jump at any opportunity to use it! I couldn’t find ours available anymore, but this one on Amazon is a great price!

Slow Cooker Deluxe Potato Soup

Cheese, Comfort, Comfort Foods, Dinner, Meals for a Crowd, Potatoes, Soup

Slow Cooker Deluxe Potato Soup

Ingredients

8 cups of water
4 TBS chicken base
4 lbs red potatoes, chopped into 1″ pieces
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 lb bacon, chopped, cooked, divided – reserve grease
1 lb Parmesan cheese, shredded, divided
1 bunch of green onion, chopped

Instructions

Mix water, chicken base, potatoes, onion, 1/2 of cooked bacon, and reserved bacon grease in a 6 QT slow cooker.
Cook for 3 hours on high, then 3 hours on low for a total cook time of 6 hours, stirring occasionally.
Using an immersion blender, blend soup until slightly chunkier than desired texture (we like it a little chunky).
Add in 1 1/2 cups of shredded Parmesan and blend to desired texture.
Garnish with remaining bacon, green onion, and more Parmesan.

Notes

Make this Vegetarian friendly by not adding bacon and using Vegetable Bouillon instead of chicken base.

A little to indulgent? Check out our classic Loaded Baked Potato Soup for a simpler take!

April 8, 2019May 20, 2019

Homemade French Fries

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The average American eats 30lbs of French Fries a year! (Source) I haven’t met a person who doesn’t love the fried potato-ey goodness that is the crispy french fry!

Everyone knows french fries are best when they are fresh out of the oil. Nothing is worse than when you get your food to go and get home to find your fries limp and cold. Making them yourself is the best way to combat this!

French Fries

Appetizer, Comfort Foods, Freezer, Fried, Potatoes, Sides, Vegetarian

French Fries

Ingredients

5lbs Russet potatoes
1 TBS Lemon Juice
Fryer oil of your choice
Salt and other spices to taste

Instructions

Cut potatoes into 1/4″ strips. Place them into a large bowl and cover with water – water should be a few inches over the potatoes.
Add of lemon juice to water and stir. Allow fries to soak for a minimum of 30 minutes. For best results fries should be soaked for 1-2 hours.
Preheat deep fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Drain water and remove potatoes from the bowl. Dab fries dry with a paper towel. **THIS IS IMPORTANT! Do not add wet fries to hot oil!
Deep fry handful-sized batches of fries for 3 minutes, shaking frying basket about every 30 seconds to keep fries from sticking together. Remove from oil and drain. Allow fries to return to room temperature.
Once fries have cooled, return to oil and fry again for about 5 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oil and drain. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot!

Make ahead fries for the freezer

After the first 3 minute cook time (see step 5 above), allow fries to cool to room temperature. Arrange on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. You can layer the fries with parchment paper in between.
Place in freezer for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
Place frozen fries into freezer safe bags. Remove as much air as possible. Frozen fries can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.
When ready to eat, cook as instructed above for the second cooking time.

We serve ours hot next to our barbecue pulled pork sandwiches or smothered in chili and cheese.

March 9, 2019August 5, 2019

Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes

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When my wife was pregnant, all she craved was carbs (she felt it was unfair later that she got gestational diabetes and had to limit them). Popcorn, sugary drinks – her biggest craving, though, was for mashed potatoes. She prepared and ate instant potato flakes by the bagful, and I had to buy her some pounds and pounds of red potatoes – her favorite!

I wish back when she was having these cravings we had an electric pressure cooker! We got our Instant Pot from her parents for Christmas a couple of years ago, and we’ve used it enough that we’ve thought about getting a second one! From beans to meat to easy side dishes, we use our Instant Pot once a week at least!

These potatoes are super easy, and so much faster than the traditionally boiled method. And they are so creamy they can be eaten on their own. Our favorite thing to pair them with is our chicken fried steaks and white gravy!

Obviously you’ll need a 6QT pressure cooker. We absolutely love our Instant Pot!

Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes

Comfort, Comfort Foods, Dinner, Meals for a Crowd, Potatoes, Pressure Cooker, Sides

Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

5lbs russet potatoes
1 cup water
1 1/2 – 2 cups of milk
1/2 – 1 stick of butter
2TBS garlic powder
2TBS salt
2TBS pepper

Instructions

Wash potatoes and chop into 1” pieces (we leave the peels on, but you can peel the potatoes if you prefer).
Put water into pressure cooker, followed by the potatoes.
Seal pressure cooker, making sure vent is sealed as well. Set to Manual-High for 6 minutes. Quick release the pressure when cook time ends.
Using a hand mixer or a potato masher, lightly break up the potatoes. Then blend in milk and butter gradually until desired consistency. Blend in spices to taste. Serve hot.