By Ridgely Evers, DaVero

This is originally from the River Ranch Lodge in Lake Tahoe, via a “You Asked for It” in Gourmet magazine.  But it was lacking a couple of things – specifically, bacon and fried bits – so here it is in tweaked form.  Ridge served it to a couple of professional chefs who were visiting, and there were no leftovers.  Case closed!

Make this as an appetizer or a main course.  As a main, it serves 4-6.  It also reheats really well for several days, so don’t worry about making too much.  Also, don’t be put off by the length of the recipe – it’s really straight-forward and remarkably easy. And rockingly good!

4 ears of yellow corn, shucked
6 slices thick-cut bacon
2-3/4 quarts water
1-1/2 lbs red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 additional large red potato, for topping
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise then sliced 1/4-inch thick
30-weight olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced into 1/4-inch cubes
3 sprigs of fresh thyme (not dried!)
1 bay leaf (2, if using Turkish)
1 quart heavy cream
4 scallions, finely sliced
Fresh juice of one lemon (to taste)
fresh black pepper & salt
Extra virgin olive oil

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place the bacon on a sheet pan and roast in the oven until chewy.  Don’t overcook it!  And put in a couple of extra slices to give yourself something to chew on while you do everything else.  When it’s done, drain it on paper towels, then cut it into 1/2-inch bits.

Cut the corn from each cob over a large bowl so it catches the kernels.  Then scrape the bare cob with the back of the chef’s knife to “milk” it (you’ll be surprised how much you get – and what a difference it makes in the flavor).

Step 2

Put the cobs and cubed potatoes in a large pot, then add enough water to cover them and a good shot of salt. Cover the pot and bring to a boil.  Boil, covered, until potatoes are tender, which will take about 15 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Discard cobs, drain potatoes, and set them aside.

Step 3

Choose a large heavy pot with a cover – one big enough to hold the quart of cream plus the water plus all of the other ingredients.  Put it on the stove over medium heat and toss in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil (30 weight, not extra virgin).  Add the onion and carrots and a bit of salt and cook for about 10 minutes, stiring occasionally, until the onion is pale gold in color.

Add the diced bell pepper, corn and its “milk”, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf.  Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the potatoes, bacon, water, and cream, raise the heat to medium, and bring the mixture to a boil, uncovered.  Reduce the heat to keep the mixture at a gentle boil.  Stir it from time to time (thoroughly, in case anything starts to stick to the bottom), and reduce it by about a third.  Be patient: this can take up to an hour.

Take the pot off the heat and stir in the lemon juice.  Remove the thyme stems (the leaves will have fallen off into the chowder) and the bay leaf.  Taste and adjust the salt if it needs it.

(You can do the recipe up to here as much as 2 days in advance.  Stick it in the fridge, well covered, and just reheat it.)

Step 4

Warm the soup bowls in the oven.

This next part is way easier if you have a mandoline.  If you do, slice the remaining potato using the shoestring setting.  If not, slice the potato into 1/4-inch slices, then julienne the slices into 1/4-inch strips.

Chop the strips/fries into 1/4-inch cubes.

Heat a half-inch to an inch of 30-weight olive oil in a pan until a potato cube sizzles hard when you drop it in.  Fry the potato cubes in small batches until crisp and brown but not burnt.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Ladle the chowder into the bowls, then garnish with a swirl of olive oil, fresh cracked pepper, sliced scallions, and a good portion of the fried potato bits.

Serve immediately.

Tags: All recipes, Appetizers, Entrees, Soups // 5 Comments »