Creamy New England Chowder with Bacon and Potatoes

What you need

• 3 can (6.5 oz each) chopped clams, juice reserved
• 150 g (5 oz) thick-cut bacon, diced
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 35 g (1/4 cup) all-purpose flour
• 500 ml (2 cups) bottled clam juice
• 250 ml (1 cup) water
• 700 g (1 1/2 lb) waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5 cm (1/2 in) cubes
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) heavy cream
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
• 2 tbsp chives, snipped, for serving

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Drain the clams over a bowl and keep both the meat and the juice.

2. 2

   Put the bacon in a large heavy pot over medium heat and cook, stirring now and then, until crisp, 8-10 min. Lift it out with a slotted spoon onto paper towels.

3. 3

   Pour off all but about 2 tbsp of the fat.

4. 4

   Add the onion and celery to the pot and cook until soft and translucent, 6-8 min. Stir in the garlic for 1 min.

5. 5

   Stir the flour into the vegetables and keep stirring for 1 min so it loses its raw taste.

6. 6

   Slowly whisk in the bottled clam juice, the reserved juice from the cans and the water, scraping the base so no lumps form.

7. 7

   Add the potatoes, thyme and bay leaf and season with pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer.

8. 8

   Cover partly and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, 15-20 min.

9. 9

   Fish out the thyme stems and the bay leaf.

10. 10

    Pour in the cream and heat until steaming, without letting it boil.

11. 11

    Add the clams and most of the bacon and warm through for 2 min. Longer cooking makes the clams rubbery.

12. 12

    Taste and add salt only if needed, since the clam juice and bacon are already salty.

13. 13

    Ladle into bowls and top with the remaining bacon and the chives.

Imported from coleycooks.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.