Ingredients
Scale
- 3 strips of bacon
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 ⅔ cups onions, chopped finely
- 1 cup celery, chopped (this is about 3 ribs)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsps all purpose flour
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- Pinch of cayenne
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups water
- 3 lbs white potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 cups heavy cream
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 10 oz. canned whole baby clams, drain and reserve the liquid from the can/s
- Optional: chopped green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven cook the strips of bacon until crisp. Remove from the pot and place on a paper towel to drain and set aside.
- Drain all but 1 tbsp of bacon fat from the pot.
- Add butter to the pot and cook onions, garlic and celery on medium heat until softened. About 10 minutes.
- Add thyme, bay leaves, cayenne and all purpose flour. Using a whisk, combine so there are no lumps.
- Add the water and the reserved liquid from the clams. Combine and bring to a boil.
- Add cubed potatoes. Reduce heat to medium and cook until softened. You can check the doneness of the potatoes by jabbing them with a fork.
- Add the cream and combine.
- Remove 1 ½ cups of the soup, placing it into a blender. Blend until smooth and add it back to the soup. NOTE: You can also do this by sticking a hand blender into the chowder and pulsing a couple times or you can even mash some of the potatoes with a fork in the pot. This is an important step in creating the creamy texture of the chowder.
- Next, add the baby clams to the chowder. Cook on low for about 10 minutes.
- Add Worcestershire sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine and let cook for a couple more minutes.
- Crumble the reserved bacon over the top of each serving. Serve hot and enjoy! 🙂
- Garnish with chopped green onions if you like!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Soups and Stews
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: American
