I Swear It Isn't Bad For You Super Simple Potato Soup

This simple rustic potato soup is unbelievably delicious. It tastes like much guiltier cousins, say cream of potato soup, but without packing the caloric punch of its heavyweight relatives.

The key to its down-homey goodness is from one oft-overlooked ingredient: the humble hambone. Your local butcher should be able to supply you with some, likely with a little meat and a little fat attached, for hardly anything at all--I think I got a pound for less than $3. This recipe's delicious yet-not-too-fatty flavor comes from cooking with a hambone, about 1 inch of bone for every serving (and cut into inch long pieces--your butcher can cut it for you). Alternatively, pieces of ham can be used. When purchasing your ham, though, be careful to see that it is naturally cured rather than chocked full of artificial chemicals and preservatives.

Remember, too, a little goes a long way. Also, if you are using ham pieces rather than bone, or your bone has a lot of fat on it, simply use a spoon to dip out excess fat as it rises to the surface, or premptively remove fat from the pieces you put in. A little fat in this recipe isn't going to hurt--in fact, it is what gives it part of its richness, but a little bit goes a long way. The following proportions make roughly four servings.

I Swear It Isn't Bad For You Super Simple Potato Soup

Six to Eight Medium Size Potatoes, Unpeeled and Chopped into Small Pieces
Four 1" Pieces of Ham Bone or Pieces of Ham
Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Cup Skim or 2% Milk

Don't peel your potatoes! You're getting rid of most of the vitamin content when you do. Instead, I wash mine in a little soapy water with a scour and then rinse very thoroughly. Chop them into about 1" square peices, cover completely with water, and bring to a boil. You'll want to add your ham bone now, several turns of the pepper mill, and salt. It is usually better to salt this recipe towards the end, though--salting it at the beginning, before the ham has given up its flavor, can lead you to oversalt this dish.

And by the way--if you don't own a pepper mill for freshly ground black pepper, invest in one. Peppercorns are not very expensive, and if you buy a reusable mill you'll find the flavor it adds is worth making the switch to freshly ground pepper.

After the potatoes are thoroughly cooked, mash them in the pot with a whisk or just with a wooden spoon. This isn't a recipe you want smooth as a cream soup--some chunks of potato still in there compliment its hearty down home taste. Continue cooking until it has reduced to a pretty thick consistency--be your own judge--and once it has, remove from heat and stir in the milk. It doesn't take much, but it will lighten up the color and give it a creamer consistency as well, and the slight sweetness of the milk also lends itself well. All in all, the cooking time should be about 25-30 minutes plus at most ten minutes prep--just washing and cutting the potatoes.

Here, I've served it with a simple meal consisting of wasabi salmon patties (recipe forthcoming), spinach with vinegar and garlic, and fresh baby carrots. You can cut your potatoes and put your soup on, mix and make the salmon patties and cook the spinach all in the time it takes your soup to cook, making this a simple, delicious and delightful 30 minute three pot meal.