Corn and Fingerling Potato Chowder with Applewood-Smoked Bacon

Long, long title for a good, good recipe. Last night we were watching a chowder throwdown on Food Network. Bobby Flay and co. were making all sorts of seafood chowders (gross!) so when Jeff said “Let’s have chowder,” I didn’t really know what he meant. He knows I won’t cook monkfish and eel chowder – I gag just thinking about it! Catching his mistake quickly (ok, maybe it was the evil eye I gave him) he clarified: “You know, corn chowder or something.” Now, that was an idea I could get into. I had this recipe in my bulging “to try” files and since I already had fingerlings from the market on Saturday, all I needed to buy was corn and bacon. I pureed the specified amount and enjoyed the final texture, which was very chunky. If you prefer something with less crunch to it, I would advise you to puree more. The flavor was nice and sweet, well complemented by the smoky bacon. I cooked 3 slices instead of the 2 called for in the recipe. I added cilantro to the top of mine because, well, I love cilantro on anything and I know it goes well with corn. It was great!

Corn and Fingerling Potato Chowder with Applewood-Smoked Bacon
Serves 5

2 slices applewood-smoked bacon
1 3/4 cups diced onion
3 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 7 ears)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1/2 cup half-and-half
8 ounces (1/4-inch-thick) rounds fingerling potato slices
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Thyme sprigs (optional)

Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add onion to drippings in pan; cook 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add corn, chopped thyme, and garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in broth, milk, half-and-half, and potatoes; bring to a simmer. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
Transfer 2 cups potato mixture to a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth; return pureed mixture to pan. Stir in salt and black pepper; sprinkle with crumbled bacon. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

From Cooking Light

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