Yes I know it’s a mouthful for a title. But each mouthful is delish. It’s an absolutely amazing recipe I found (and changed a BUNCH. I tend to do this to anything I make, recipes are a good way to get a base idea for what I’m going to cook, times, temperatures etc). Turned out to be one of my new favorites for sure. I actually cut this in half BESIDES the butter, flour and I used about 6 cups of milk. Making it nice, thick and creamy. I don’t like my chowder soupy, because then it just isn’t a chowder its potato soup. I also added more potatoes so that it would be a hearty chowder. It’s easy to add more or less according to your personal taste.
Ingredients
- 12 bacon strips, diced (of course you dice it AFTER you’ve cooked it, it’s just simpler that way).
- 2 medium onions, chopped (if you don’t feel like having your mascara all over your face something I’ve found is a refrigerated onion is far less potent and a little easier on the eyes. Or you can throw your onion into the microwave and heat them either way).
- 6 celery ribs, sliced (I specifically like to use the middles, the leafy part of the celery for cooking so much flavor in there).
- 12 medium potatoes, cubed (remember when cubing to make them a little larger than bite size because potatoes tend to cook down easily).
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 8 cups milk
- 2 medium carrots, shredded
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature, or cubed is typical, I just add a dollop here and there).
Directions
- In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels. Saute onions and celery in the drippings until tender; drain.
- Place potatoes in a pot and cover with water (I added a few cubes of bullion to add flavor). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain; set potatoes aside. In the same pan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
- Reduce heat; add onion mixture, potatoes, carrots, cream cheese and all the seasonings you can think of (oregano, garlic salt, paprika, salt, pepper, thyme, basil). Cook for 10 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with bacon. Yield: 12-14 servings.
