Potato Corn Chowder
Earthy, warm and perfect on a cold winter’s day.
Potato corn chowder evolved from the hearty chowders brought to North America by French and English settlers, who combined European soup-making traditions with native American ingredients. Corn, cultivated in the Americas for thousands of years before European contact, and potatoes, introduced from South America through Europe, proved to be an inexpensive, filling combination that became especially popular in New England and the Midwest. By the early twentieth century, potato corn chowder had become a classic American comfort food, valued for its simplicity, affordability, and satisfying richness.
This recipe was a favorite of My Number One Fan and I back in the ‘90s after the butter people, Land O Lakes, published the Treasury of Country Recipes in 1992. It was a 511-page, hard-bound, beautifully photographed book containing over 700 recipes that featured farm-style, hearty recipes showcasing the company’s butter and dairy products. They called it “Hearty Bacon Potato Chowder,” strangely omitting the word “corn” from the title. We made this many times because it’s simple, easy to make, and it is indeed hearty enough for a meal on its own. Nothing else quite hits the spot quite like this does after a cold day on the soccer fields.
If you don’t want or cannot find Red potatoes (sometimes sold as Red Bliss), any waxy potato will do like, Yukon Gold, Fingerling, or New Potatoes, but avoid Russet potatoes as they will eventually fall apart in the creamy broth.
As usual, we made a few modifications to the original recipe. We found that cooking the potatoes separately in the beginning was beneficial, as was the addition of heavy cream and more thyme. Be sure to use whole milk, but if you only have 1% or 2% milk on hand, add less milk and more heavy cream. We also add the bacon at the end of the cooking process so they retain some of their crispy structure. You could also simply add the bacon lardons to the top of the chowder after serving.
Potato Corn Chowder
Earthy, warm and perfect on a cold winter’s day.
Ingredients
- 8 rashers bacon, sliced into lardons
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 cups red potatoes, halved or quartered to approximately1 to 1-1/2 inch pieces
- 1 medium sweet yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 10.5 oz can condensed cream of chicken soup (like, Campbell’s)
- 1 15.25 oz can whole kernel corn, drained (like, Del Monte Fresh Cut)
- 1/2 tsp ground thyme
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 2-3 tbsp snipped chives for garnish
Instructions
- In a soup pot, fry the lardons of bacon until crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Reserve the bacon fat.
- Melt the butter into the rendered bacon fat.
- Sweat the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Do not brown.
- Place the red potatoes in the skillet and cover with a lid. Cook until soft, about 30 minutes. Lift the lid to stir every 5 minutes or so and avoid browning.
- Add all the remaining ingredients except the chives and bring to a simmer.
- Cook the chowder over medium low heat and a soft simmer for 30-45 minutes.
- Add the bacon in the final 5 minutes of cooking.
- Garnish with fresh snipped chives before serving in chowder bowls or soup mugs.
