Cooking Thursday

 My sister Cheri sent me a recipe for a potato corn chowder and said I had to try it.  Imagine my surprise when my friend Jenny posted about making potato corn chowder herself a few days before I was going to make it.  Jenny had a great tip, that I think I'll use next time I make this.  She said to use leftover mashed potatoes to thicken it!  We also thought there was too much corn, so I'll cut down on that.  It was very tasty though!

Creamy Potato Corn Chowder

4 strips bacon cut into small pieces

1/2 medium onion chopped small

3 sticks celery chopped small

2 medium carrots peeled & chopped small

1/4 cup flour

2 cloves garlic minced

4 cups chicken broth or stock

1 cup heavy whipping cream

4 cups frozen or fresh corn (I would use 2-3 cups)

3 large Russet potatoes peeled & diced

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Salt & pepper to taste

Prep your bacon and add it to a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook until crispy (about 10 minutes).
Meanwhile, prep your onion, celery, and potatoes.
Once the bacon is crispy, take it out of the pot and remove to a paper towel lined plate. Leave about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pot.
Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Stir in the flour and cook for about a minute, stirring nearly constantly.
Add in the chicken broth and give it a good stir to ensure the flour has dissolved and the brown bits are scraped up from the bottom of the pot.
Add in the cream, corn, potatoes, Italian seasoning, and most of the bacon (save the rest for garnishing the bowls later on). Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat to a rapid simmer so it's gently boiling. Cover the pot so the lid is slightly ajar.
Cook until the potatoes are tender (about 15-20 minutes). Stir every so often. The soup will thicken up more the longer you cook it.
Season the soup with salt & pepper as needed. Garnish bowls with the rest of the bacon.