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By Andrea Burroughs

Soup and homemade chili are common meals cooked in homes during the cold months. They are fairly easy meals to prepare, and they usually make a lot, so leftovers can be frozen and then reheated whenever the craving hits. 

My mom has yet to make chili or soup this winter, but I can guarantee she will before spring gets here.

This week’s recipe is Chunky Potato Soup. I don’t recall either my mom or grandmother ever making this recipe, but I came across it and felt it was just right for these cold, winter-weather days. 

Preparation time for this recipe is only 15 minutes, and cooking time is 1 hour, so it’s a long-lasting meal that won’t take up much of your time.

Ingredients

• 3 medium red potatoes
• 2 cups of water
• 1 small onion
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, crushed red pepper, and ground black pepper
• 3 cups of milk
• ½ teaspoon of sugar
• 1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup of cubed cooked ham

Preparation

First, peel and cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan, then add the potatoes and cook until tender. Drain the reserving liquid and set the potatoes aside. Measure 1 cup of cooking liquid (liquid left over from cooking), adding water if necessary, then setting aside.

Peel and finely chop the onion, then melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until tender and translucent, but not brown. Add the flour to the saucepan and season with red and black peppers to taste. Let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Gradually add the potatoes, reserved 1 cup of cooking liquid, milk, and sugar to the onion mixture in the saucepan and stir well. Then add the cheese and ham. Let the mixture simmer over low heat for 30 minutes while stirring frequently. The recipe suggests serving the soup with bread to make a filling meal. 

This recipe serves 12 people.

Enjoy and stay warm!