Creamy Ham and Potato Soup

I've had a go-to potato soup recipe that I have used since I left home for college.  It's a basic recipe that can be adapted and changed depending on the ingredients you have and the flavors you want.  It can be a ham chowder, a corn chowder, a clam chowder, or just potato soup.  Recently I came across a recipe from allrecipes.com that was very similar to my family recipe.  I took a couple of ideas from it and combined it with my trusted recipe, and it was delicious!  It was a big hit with my family and friends.  I don't think I'll ever go back to the old way.

So, here is my new and improved potato soup recipe!

Creamy Ham and Potato Soup
inspired by allrecipes.com
Ingredients:
4 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
2 large ribs of celery, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 pound cooked ham, cubed
chicken broth (I use fat free, lower sodium)
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese for topping

Directions:
Chop all your vegetables and your ham and place them all in a large pot.  Pour in chicken broth until it barely covers the vegetables.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add flour and whisk vigorously for about 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in milk.  Add salt, pepper, and sugar, and stir continuously until the mixture becomes very thick.  Set aside until vegetables finish cooking.

Once vegetables are cooked, add the white sauce to the pot (do not drain the vegetables first).  Stir to combine, and heat through if necessary.  Serve with crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese as toppings.

Notes:
--There are two keys to a thick and creamy soup. First, make sure you don't add too much chicken broth to the pot.  The vegetables should barely be covered and shouldn't all be floating.  Second, make sure you let the white sauce cook until it's very thick.  I always stir it until I think it's thick enough and then keep stirring for another minute or two longer so it gets even thicker.
--The only differences between this recipe and my old family recipe is that the vegetables are cooked in chicken broth instead of water, there are carrots added, the ham is added with the vegetables instead of at the end, and regular milk is used for the white sauce instead of half and half.  I believe these changes make the soup more flavorful and at the same time lower in fat.
--This soup is delicious without meat, and it can be adapted and changed easily to use other vegetables or meats.
--We like to serve this soup with what my family calls Toasties.  Butter both sides of bread and cut each slice into four strips.  Place on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 5-7 minutes on the first side (until nice and toasted) and then flip and cook for 2-3 minutes on the second side.

Enjoy!
-Jennie