Tag Archives: Potato

Cooking, Soups

Ham and Potato Soup

There are few soups that I love as much as ham and potato soup. It is a great alternative to ham and bean soup for that leftover holiday ham.

Gather the following ingredients:

8 oz. ham
2 1/2 lbs. potatoes
2 cans chicken broth
1 tbls. Dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups milk
1 can cream of celery

1/4 tsp. garlic powder
salt

Dutch oven or the biggest pot you can find

Cut the ham into cubes. Dice the potatoes. Add ham, potatoes, Dijon mustard, and chicken broth to the Dutch oven. Boil until the potatoes until they are tender, about 30 minutes once it starts to boil.

Ham and potatoes about to be cooked
Ham and potatoes about to be cooked

Combine the milk and cream of celery, stir into the pan.

Season with garlic powder and salt. Heat the soup through – do not boil.

Cooking, Main courses

Cheesy Hash Browns with Ham

A side dish or a main course, cheesy hash browns with ham.

Gather the following ingredients:

1 (32 ounce) package of frozen has brown potatoes
A cooked ham steak or cubed ham or frozen leftovers
2 cans condensed cream of potato soup
1 (16 oz.) container of sour cream
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar Chees
Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 large glass pan or 2 smaller glass pans
Huge bowl

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Break the frozen hash browns by dropping it onto cement or a hard floor. Do not body slam the package. It doesn’t end well.

Slice the ham into small cubes.

In an extreme large bowl mix the cream of potato soup, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and the ham. Mix in the frozen has browns.

Cheesy Ham and Potatoes, ready to be cooked.
Cheesy Ham and Potatoes, ready to be cooked.

Transfer the mixture into the glass pan or pans.

Top with the grated Parmesan cheese.
– Do not use shredded parmesan cheese for this. It will burn.

Bake for a full hour.

Cooking, Side dishes

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes – Only my favorite childhood food.

It’s hard to beat good mashed potatoes as a side dish and really easy to make.

Gather the following ingredients:

Potatoes – regular ones not the yellow and not the red ones
Milk
Butter

Optional toppings:
Butter
Sour Cream
Cheese
Bacon
Salt
Pepper

Large pot with lid
Mixer
Potato peeler
Paring knife
Cutting board

Fill pot with cold water. Leave room for the potatoes.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters the long way. Rinse and place into pot.

Potatoes

Turn stove on to a medium high heat. Cook for 30 minutes and then check the potatoes by sticking them with a fork. The fork should pierce the potato easily, but not completely fall apart. If the potato is very firm cook for another 5 minutes. If it almost seems right try another couple of minutes. You need to find the perfect medium. Stop cooking them too soon and your potatoes will be lumpy. Over cook them and all you will have is mush.

Drain the potatoes using the lid and pot holders. Be very careful of the steam and do not pour the water into your pants (it happens).

Remove the lid and add between 2 and 4 tabs of butter depending on the amount of potatoes. Pour some milk over the potatoes. Start with 1/4 of a cup. You can always add more. Too much milk can make it overly creamy. My grandmother used to make it without milk at all because I am lactose intolerant. I loved her so much for doing that I didn’t have the heart to tell her a little milk wouldn’t kill me.

Use the mixer to smash the potatoes until they are nice and fluffy.

Toppings:
Add one or as many of the suggested toppings as you wish. I like to start with the butter and then the cheese, bacon crumbs if I have them, sour cream on top of that, and then salt and pepper for taste. I do not promote sour cream on mashed potatoes, but it can be good.