Creamy Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder
A pale gold chowder that is creamy and still chunky, with soft orange sweet potato cubes and bright yellow corn kernels. Blend two cups and stir them back in, and hold a cup of corn for the end.
Servings 6 bowls
Ingredients
For the Chowder
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 ribs celery diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 1 ½ lb sweet potatoes peeled, cut into ½ inch dice
- 3 cups frozen corn kernels divided, 2 cups early and 1 cup at the end
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoon sherry vinegar or cider vinegar
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 4 slices thick cut bacon optional, diced
To Serve
- 3 green onions sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves chopped
Instructions
Build the Base
- Melt the butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. If you are using bacon, render the diced bacon first and add the butter to the fat. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until soft with no browning. Stir in the garlic, thyme and smoked paprika for 30 seconds.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 2 minutes. It will look pasty and cling to everything, which is correct, and this is what cooks out the raw flour taste.
Simmer
- Pour in the stock one cup at a time, stirring hard after each addition so the roux loosens smoothly. Add the diced sweet potato and 2 cups of the corn.
- Simmer for 15 to 18 minutes, until the sweet potato cubes are tender all the way through.
Blend and Finish
- Scoop out about 2 cups of the pot, solids and liquid together, blend until completely smooth, and stir it back in. Do not blend the whole pot or you will end up with a puree.
- Pour in the milk and cream over low heat and stir until warmed through. Do not let it boil once the dairy is in.
- Stir in the reserved 1 cup of corn and cook for 2 minutes only, so the kernels stay bright and firm. Take the pot off the heat, stir in the vinegar, and season generously with salt and black pepper. Rest 10 minutes before serving, topped with green onion and fresh thyme.
Notes
- Cook the roux for 2 minutes: a chowder without a roux is just soup.
- Blend 2 cups, not the pot: enough to bind, not enough to erase the texture.
- Hold back 1 cup of corn: stirred in for the final 2 minutes so the kernels stay bright yellow and pop.
- Never boil after the dairy: boiled cream splits and turns the pot grainy.
- Season hard: sweet potato, corn and cream are three sweet things and need real salt.
- Rest 10 minutes: it thickens noticeably off the heat.