To start:

Dice potatoes and ham.  Add to stove top pot.  Add chicken broth, jalapeno sauce, chives, parsely, black pepper, salt and butter.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add milk and half & half.  Bring back to a slight boil.  Then add desired amount of potato flakes until desired consistency is reached.

Ta da soup is complete.

I used about 1- 1 1/2 cups flakes because I don't like my soup very thick.  This add a slight texture and keeps the soup light.  There's a lot of potatoes so the broth doesn't need to be very thick.   I used quite a bit of black pepper.  This soup has a lot of flavor.  Please note the jalapeno sauce does not make this soup hot and spicy at all, it just adds a lot flavor but no heat. I use a lot of dashes.