Smokey Ham, Potato, and Corn Chowder

Smokey Ham, Potato, and Corn Chowder

Serves 6-8 comfortably

• 3 thick cut slices of bacon (chopped)
• 1 ham steak (cubed)
• 1 medium yellow onion (chopped fine)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• about 6 large red skin potatoes (diced into bite sized pieces)
• (3) 10 oz. cans of sweet corn (drained)
• 8 oz. original cream cheese (room temp)
• 1 can condensed cream of celery soup
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons Herbs de Provence (dry spice)
• 2-3 chicken bouillon cubes
• 3 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• about 2 tablespoons of butter

1. In a large cast iron soup pot, melt about two tablespoons butter on medium-high heat. Add in you chopped bacon and render the fat from the bacon, stirring often with a wooden spoon.
2. Once the bacon looks cooked through and crispy, and you have a good amount of bacon fat in your pot, add in the white wine to scrape up the bits from the bottom of the pot. Add your chopped onion and garlic, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir often.
3. Now add in your ham and corn and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir often.
4. Add in your chopped potatoes, cream cheese, cream of celery soup, and give everything a stir.
5. Lower heat to low setting, add in your Herb de Provence, bay leaves, chicken bouillon cubes, about a teaspoon of salt, and fresh ground pepper, and 4 cups of water.
6. Cover and cook for about an hour on low (**about half way through, remove lid and taste for seasonings. Since the bacon and ham are salty we don’t want to add too much salt, but you may need more, so taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed)

*Now here’s a tip!

While this soup is wonderful right out of the pot after an hour of cooking…The real magic happens if it’s served the next day! So I recommend letting the soup cool completely and storing it in the fridge overnight. Not only will it be a thicker consistency the next day but the flavors will marry together more and it will be out of this world delicious, especially served with mounds of crusty Sourdough bread and butter to dip.