1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced ham
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
1 large sweet potato, small diced
1/2 cup heavy cream
Chopped parsley
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add the ham and cook until it's browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove the ham to a small bowl and set aside.
Add the onion, carrot and celery to the pot and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
Put in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the butter and flour to the pan and cook for 5 minutes to remove the raw taste of flour.
Slowly add the milk, whisking to incorporate all of the flour.
Add diced sweet potato to the pot and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
Add the ham back to the pot and stir in the heavy cream. Cook until the soup is heated through.
Top each bowl with a garnish of chopped parsley.