Potato Soup, Florentine Style

This is another of the many recipes for the slow cooker that come from Mable Hoffman's excellent book, "Crockery Cookery", that are a regular part of our dinner menus. This soup is a meal-in-a-bowl for a busy weeknight dinner. A crusty Italian bread for dipping into the broth is a wonderful accompaniment. I prefer the chopped ham over the ham hocks for less fat and be sure to get the spinach out of the freezer to thaw while the soup cooks. The spinach isn't added until the last 15-20 minutes of cooking time. Blessings...

Recipe:

4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced (about 4 cups)
1 cup chopped onion
1 smoked ham hock (about 1 lb.) or 1 cup chopped ham
4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 (9-oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained (see note)
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese

1. In a slow cooker, combine potatoes, onion, ham hock or ham, broth, mustard, seasoned salt and pepper.
2. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until potatoes are soft.
3. Remove ham hock; chop meat and discard fat and bone. Return meat to cooker.
4. Turn control to high. Add drained spinach. Cover and cook on high for 15-20 minutes.
5. Spoon hot soup into soup bowls and sprinkle with cheese. Yummy!

Yield: 7-3/4 cups
Note: Place frozen spinach in a mesh strainer over a bowl and let sit to thaw. When thawed, press out excess water with the back of a wooden spoon. This makes the job so much easier.