Stir in the garlic, mushrooms, turmeric, thyme and red pepper flakes. Continue to cook for another 2 minutes.
1 cup brown mushrooms, 4 cloves garlic, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Add the potatoes and ham. Pour the broth and 1½ cups of the milk in and stir well. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium low and cover (should keep a gentle simmer, adjust stove if needed.) Cook stirring occasionally for about 40 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.
4 cups potatoes, 4 cups ham, 4 cups chicken broth
Pour flour into a 4 cup measuring cup or a bowl (measuring cup will be easier to pour.) Slowly pour the remaining 1½ cups milk into the flour while stirring with a whisk. This will help to prevent too many lumps.
3 cups milk, ⅓ cup flour
Take the lid off the soup and turn the burner up to medium, your soup should still be simmering. Slowly pour the milk/flour mixture into the soup while stirring continuously until it is all mixed in. Carefully taste to see if you need to add salt and pepper.Cook on medium for about 10-15 minutes until it is thickened to desired consistency.
salt and pepper to taste
Notes
The nutrition information is estimated based on this being 8 servings. For the potatoes - 4 cups diced is about 2 pounds of potatoes or about 3 large russets. The potato measurement does not have to be exact.For the ham - Adjust the amount based on how much you have or preferred taste. If you use a lot less, you may need to add a little salt. It is important that you do not boil the milk, you run a chance of it curdling. Keep it at a gentle simmer. If it curdles, you are likely to end up with big chunks from the fats separating.