Creamy Corn Chowder

Ingredients

• 6 slices thick-cut bacon (diced small)
• 14 ounces kielbasa (cut into thin rounds)
• 1 small sweet Vidalia onion (diced small (yellow onion or white onion may be substituted))
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic (finely minced)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 32 ounces reduced sodium chicken broth
• 4 medium russet potatoes (peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes)
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
• 4 cups fresh corn
• 3/4 cup heavy cream (half-and-half may be substituted)

Instructions

1. 1

   To a large Dutch oven or soup pot, add the bacon, and cook over medium high heat until crispy, about 8-10 minutes, or as necessary. Stir and flip occasionally to ensure even browning. When bacon is done, remove it with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel-lined plate; set aside. Do not drain the grease.

2. 2

   To the bacon grease, add the sliced kielbasa, and cook for about 3 minutes, or until lightly seared and browned on the edges and sides. Flip and toss to ensure even browning. Remove it with a slotted spoon and place it on the paper towel-lined plate; set aside. Drain all but 4 tablespoons of the grease.

3. 3

   Add the onions and cook over medium-high heat for about 4-5 minutes, or until they're becoming tender and translucent. Stir frequently.

4. 4

   Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Stir nearly constantly.

5. 5

   Evenly sprinkle the flour over the top so that it absorbs the grease, and cook for 1 minute. Stir nearly constantly. Tip - Adding flour now will help the chowder thicken later but it's important to make sure to cook the flour for a minute so that later on, the chowder doesn't have any raw flour flavor; so don't shortchange this step.

6. 6

   While whisking or stirring constantly, slowly drizzle in the chicken broth. Tip - Make sure to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan; this is where all the flavor is.

7. 7

   Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are done and fork-tender. Potato Tips - Make sure NOT to cut your potatoes larger than 1/2-inch cubes because this is the only ingredient that will hold up the cooking time. You can't move on until the potatoes are done, and bigger potatoes = longer cooking time. Make sure to also read the FAQs about why I suggest Russet potatoes and not red or Yukon Gold potatoes.

8. 8

   Once the potatoes are fork tender, add the corn, kielbasa, and stir to combine, and taste the soup. As desired, add salt, pepper, and stir to combine. Flavor/Salt Tips - While bacon does have a lot of salt, and so does kielbasa, potatoes and corn don't and if the chowder tastes at all flat or boring, it would likely benefit for a bit more salt. However, remember you haven't sprinkled on the bacon yet and once you do, the chowder will read a bit saltier then than it does now. So don't get too carried away, you can always add more later.

9. 9

   Add the heavy cream, bring the chowder to a simmer over medium to warm everything through, and either sprinkle the bacon over the top now or do it once you've ladeled it into bowls and each bowl can get a little pinch of bacon crumbles. Serve and enjoy.

10. 10

    Storage - Extra soup will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. Normally I don't recommend freezing soups or chowders with cream/dairy in them, but this one does freeze fine for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. When reheating the chowder from the fridge, I do it in 30-second bursts in my microwave but you can reheat it on your stove, if desired. Reheating Tips - It does thicken up as it cools and so when reheating it, you may want to add a splash more chicken broth to loosen it up. Water will work in a pinch if you don't want to open another package of broth. Half-and-half is also a good option if you have it on hand if your leftovers have gotten thicker.