Slow-Cooked Corn & Bacon Chowder

• 8 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
• 32 oz frozen corn
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• kosher salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, stripped from sprigs

1. 1

   Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp — take it slowly, ten minutes or so, because rushed bacon burns and you lose the fat you need. Remove the bacon to paper towels but leave about two tablespoons of the rendered fat in the pan.

2. 2

   Add the diced onion and bell pepper to that bacon fat and cook until the onion is translucent, about five minutes. Toss in the garlic for the last minute, stirring so it doesn't scorch — burned garlic will ruin the whole pot.

3. 3

   Sprinkle the flour over the softened vegetables and stir for one full minute. This cooks out the raw flour taste and gives the chowder body later; if you skip it, you'll have thin soup and a disappointed family.

4. 4

   Gradually whisk the chicken broth into the skillet with the vegetables, stirring until smooth. Transfer this mixture into a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the potatoes, frozen corn, thyme, salt, and pepper. Give it a stir, cover, and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours, until the potatoes are fork-tender.

5. 5

   About thirty minutes before serving, ladle roughly two cups of the hot liquid and potatoes into a blender. Remove the center cap from the lid and cover with a kitchen towel to let steam escape, then purée smooth and stir it back into the slow cooker (or use an immersion blender). This thickens the chowder without any extra flour and gives it that creamy texture you want.

6. 6

   Pour in the heavy cream and stir gently to combine. Let it warm through on LOW for another 15 to 20 minutes — don't let it come to a boil once the cream is in or it may break and look grainy.

7. 7

   Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with the reserved crisp bacon and a few extra thyme leaves if you've got them.

8. 8

   Leftovers keep in the fridge three or four days — reheat gently on the stove over low heat, never a rolling boil. I don't freeze it once the cream is in; the potatoes turn mealy and the cream separates on you. If you want a batch for the freezer, ladle some out after step 5, before the cream goes in — that freezes for three months, and you stir in fresh cream when you reheat it.

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