Ham Potato Soup Crock Pot Style with Ham Stock

First we will need to make the Ham Stock and then the Soup. You will probably want to make the Stock the day before you want your soup.

Ham Stock Crock Pot Style

* 1 Ham Hock/Bone/Spiral Ham Bone
* 10 cups Water or enough to cover the Ham Hock/Bone

Mirepoix-combination onions, celery and carrots to add flavor.

After sautéing the following, add the mirepoix to the Ham Hock/Bone and Water.

*1/2 cups Onions
*1/2 cups celery
*1/2 cups carrots
*2-3 tablespoons of Bacon Fat or Butter (I like to use Light Olive Oil)

This is a good amount of vegetables you can put 1/4 more Onions if you want the extra flavor.

Sauté Onions, Carrots and Celery in Bacon Fat/Butter/Light Olive Oil on medium heat in a sauté pan. Sauté until onions are transparent and then add to Ham Hock/Bone/Spiral Ham Bone and Water in Crock Pot.

Sachet-a piece of cheese cloth (I use a paper coffee filter) filled with herbs and spices tied with butchers string.

*1 coffee Filter
*About 12 inches Butchers String
* 1 Bay Leaf
*1/2 teaspoon Thyme or a fresh sprig of Thyme
*1/2 teaspoon Peppercorns
*2 Cloves of Garlic cut in half
*2 Whole Cloves

Add the Sachet to the filled crock pot.

Simmer on low for 4-6 hours in crock pot. This brings out the favors from Bones and Vegetable and Herbs and Seasoning and gives the flavors to the stock.

I cut up all the Vegetables for the Stock and Soup all at the same time.

I put the Vegetables for the Soup in the fridge until I was ready to make the Soup.

Making the sachet.

Add Sachet to the Crock Pot of Stock.

After Stock has simmered on low for 6 Hours, strain through the cheese Cloth.

This is the finished strained Stock in stock pot, now put Stock Pot to cool down in a sink of cold water and ice before placing in the fridge. See picture below.

Stock cooled ready to refrigerate. I left it in the fridge over night and made the soup the next day.

This is the stock after a night in the fridge. If you wanted to use it that same day a few hours would be enough to jell the stock and then take off the fat that has collected on the top.

Fat removed from the Stock.

My Stock made 6 cups. I used two cups in the soup recipe and froze the other four cups, two cups in each bag of Ham Stock for later use. Food

Now we are ready to make the Soup.

Ham and Potato Soup Crock Pot Style

*2 cups Ham Stock
*2 cups Water
*1/2-1 1/2 cups Carrots ( I love carrots)
*1/2 cups Celery
*1/4 cups Onions
*2 cups Potatoes Fresh or Frozen (Frozen may get soft)
*1 1/2 cups Ham pieces

Add the above to the Crock Pot.

Roux/Thickening Sauce usually equal parts of Flour and Butter.

Melt 1/4 to 1/2 cups Butter in sauce pan (I used 1/4 cup) On medium heat. Gradually add flour to Butter. After you have created the roux, whisk in 2 cups of milk of your choice slowly into roux. Add 1 to 2 cups of Cheddar Cheese or Cheese of your choice. ( I like mozzarella). You can coat a layer flour on cheese to help blend in Roux/Sauce. When combined into a sauce add to the Crock Pot.

**If you like a thicker soup add 1/4 more Butter and 1/4 more Flour to roux recipe and use the full 2 cups of Cheese in the recipe.

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Cook in Crock Pot on low 4-6 hours.

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