Potato Soup to DIE for.

This next recipe is at one of my readers requests. ( I didn't know I had readers!) This soup has been requested by all of my children and husband multiple times. One of my sons asks for it at every birthday and even for his Baptism party. Yea it's that good. When I first made this it wasn't a recipe as much as it was an idea of putting good stuff in a pot and hoping it would be yummy. This soup has several versions that we have tried and I will note those at the bottom. So onto my basic potato soup.

1 10lb bag of russet potatoes or yukon gold peeled and cut in uniform pieces. ( I prefer the yukon because they give the soup a beautiful golden color) *note this makes a LOT of soup so halve it if need be* Also the potatoes can have skin left on but I had a pot once that the skins didnt blend well and it was almost as bad as finding a hair in your soup when you came across one of the skins. Failed yumminess.

1-2 white onions quartered (depending on size)

4-6 quarts of good chicken stock ( left over stock from sexy mashed potatoes work well but I often have to add a bit more )

4 chicken boullion cubes or the equivilent in powder. I know it sounds odd but trust me its good. It should be noted that how much you use depends on how much soup. Less for less soup or you will have such a salty soup it won't be edible. Be careful but DON'T leave it out.

1 carton heavy cream. I use the tall one I think its two pints. Hey I cook , it doesn't make me a math whiz.

1 stick butter. I tend to use unsalted so that I can control the salt content better. I recommend unsalted.

2 tablespoons garlic. Not powdered.

1 lb GOOD ham. Real ham. No turkey ham. No ham wannabes. Chunk it up. This is the secret ingredient. This has never given my soup a hammy flavor but it gives it that " why is this sooo good" quality. That quality that you can never put your finger on but makes you want to eat it all.

1lb sharp cheddar cheese.

Now that we have the team assembled its time for the first inning.
Put potatoes,stock,onion,garlic,boullion and ham in a crock pot or a heavy stock pot. If using a crock crank that puppy on high , put the lid on and walk away for at least 4 hours. If using a heavy stock pot , put it on high and put a lid on and walk away . Don't come back until the potatoes are done. Time varies but generally around 45 min.

When potatoes are done take an immersion blender or a hand blender and blend entire mixture until smooth. This will yield you a wonderful creamy mixture.

Taste for salt. If it seems a bit salty don't worry .
Add pepper to taste.
Next add the cream, butter to taste, and the cheese. Stir together and taste. It should taste like you want to eat the whole pot. Don't. Well if you really want to go ahead but it's nice to share.

This soup is perfect with crusty bread and butter.

* variations are as follows:
Add leeks instead of onions.
Add bacon instead of ham however be prepared for it to taste like bacon potato soup. Yes it is as good as it sounds.
Add sour cream and green chilies to the basic recipe and serve with cornbread. Ole!

As with anything a lower fat version can be manufactured however you won't get it from me. Namely because , while good, it is not to die for. (note the name of the recipe)

So let me know how yours turns out. I am going to go make sexy mashed potatoes so I can make this soup.
Happy eating!

ps. Thank you for reading! I mean that.