Cheddar Potato-beer Soup With Shredded Ham

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 10 baby carrots
• 5 red potatoes, peeled,cut into large pieces
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground pepper, red pepper flakes
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle beer
• 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans chicken broth or 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup cooked ham, shredded or julienned

Recipe

• 1 heat butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat.
• 2 add carrots, potatoes and onion; cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
• 3 add salt and pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.
• 4 add beer; heat to a boil, stirring to scrape up any browned bits.
• 5 add chicken broth; heat to a boil.
• 6 cook until potatoes and carrots are tender, about 12 minutes.
• 7 pour soup, in batches if necessary, into blender or food processor (or use a hand-held'boat motor' blender).
• 8 puree and return to saucepan.
• 9 stir in cheese; heat, stirring, until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.
• 10 taste for seasoning; add more pepper flakes if needed.
• 11 ladle into bowls.
• 12 top each with shredded ham.