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1
Cook bacon in a large frying pan.
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2
Crumble and set aside.
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3
Save bacon grease.
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4
While the bacon is cooking: in a 5 qt dutch oven, or similar size soup or stock pot, cover diced potatoes with water and boil till desired tenderness(about 15 mins).
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5
Save 1 and 1/2 cups of water from the cooked potatoes and drain.
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6
After bacon is cooked, remove bacon from pan.
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7
Keep 4 tbls(I just kept all the grease in the pan from cooking the half pound of bacon) bacon grease in frying pan and add onion, celery, carrot and cook for about 10 minutes or until onions are translucent.
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8
Transfer cooked veggies and bacon grease to the empty soup pot that the potatoes were in.
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9
Add the 4 tbls flour to the veggies and stir to dissolve flour completely.
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10
Cook about 3 mins.
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11
(You may want to add a little more flour or bacon grease depending on consistency, but 4 n 4 works well)
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12
Slowly add the saved water from the potatoes to the pot while stirring to combine.
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13
The mixture should be quite thick.
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14
Add the chicken broth, ham, salt, pepper, cooked potatoes and crumbled bacon and return to simmer.
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15
Stir well to combine the liquids.
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16
Slowly (about a handful at a time) add cheese, let melt a little then stir in.
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17
Repeat untill all cheese added and melted.
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18
Add heavy cream and stir to combine.
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19
Return to simmer and cook 5 to 20 mins.
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20
Enjoy!
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21
Top with what you like.
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22
(Cheese, bacon, green onions, croutons, etc) Or enjoy as is.
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23
I like some cheese garlic croutons on mine.
