Bacon, Potato and Corn Chowder

Since Mother Nature decided not to be very nice today, I decided to whip up some comfort food for lunch.

I can’t believe it’s April 12th and we’re in the middle of a blustery snowstorm. Okay, I guess I can believe it, but I don’t have to like it! To ward off the chill, I decided to make a bacon, potato and corn chowder to warm my belly.

To begin, chop about six slices of bacon into small pieces and fry until almost crisp. Drain the fat and return the bacon to your soup pot.

Once the bacon has been returned to the soup pot, add finely diced celery and onions.

Add 1 large, finely diced onion and about four ribs of finely diced celery. Let them cook on low with the bacon while you prepare your potatoes.

Wash and dice into bite-sized pieces four medium to large potatoes. I like to use red-skinned potatoes and keep the skin on.

Dice your potatoes into bite-sized pieces and toss them in with the bacon, onions and celery.

Cook the bacon and vegetable mixture for about five minutes. Add four cups of chicken or vegetable broth, and four cups of water, 1 tsp of tarragon and 1 tsp of thyme. Bring the mixture to a low boil and allow to simmer until the potatoes are just slightly under-cooked, roughly six to eight minutes.

Add a bag of your favourite frozen corn (I use peaches and cream) and bring back up to a low boil until the potatoes are fully cooked and the corn is heated through.

Keep at a low boil until the potatoes are fork tender and the corn is cooked through.

If you’re one that loves heavy cream, at this stage you can add two cups. I prefer to use regular 2% milk with two tbsp of corn starch mixed in to thicken my chowder to keep things a bit lighter. If you use the slurry method, stir the mixture into the boiling liquid, and allow it to cook for at least five minutes. The chowder will thicken and the corn starch will be cooked in so you won’t be able to taste it.

All that’s left to do is season to taste with salt and pepper!

Never miss a great opportunity to add a little grated Cheddar!!