Recipe Background
Corn Chowder Supper: A hearty dish that fills your home with warmth, perfect for rainy days.
Corn Chowder Supper always brings me back to a cozy, small-town post-storm evening. It was the spring when I moved into my first tiny cottage—a snug little place with a leaky roof—but it had a charm you couldn't put a finger on. The kind of place where old creaky floors told tales. After a blustery day of unpacking soggy boxes and getting acquainted with uncooperative curtains, I wanted to cook something that felt like a warm embrace. I’ve always kept bacon on hand because nothing starts a comforting meal better than the sizzle of bacon in the skillet. The sound alone activates my appetite.
That night, the kitchen transformed into a comforting cocoon. I chopped Yukon Gold potatoes, which are my favorite for their creamy texture when cooked, and got the corn ready. There was something magical about combining the sweetness of cream-style corn with savory bacon. A splash of the reserved potato-cooking water added an unexpected depth—it’s a trick I picked up from Grandma and never forgot. Evaporated milk brought it all together, making it somehow nostalgic and revolutionary at the same time. As the chowder simmered, rich aromas danced through that drafty little home, filling it with a homeliness that no furniture could ever replicate. When I finally sat down to eat, the storm outside seemed a distant memory. It was just me, a steaming bowl, and my newfound peace in a new place.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound bacon strips chopped
- 1/4 cup onion chopped
- 5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cubed
- water to taste
- 1 (14.75-ounce) can cream-style corn
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add the bacon and cook, while stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 5-7 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.
- Reserve 1 1/2 teaspoons of the bacon drippings in the pan, draining the remainder.
- In the same large skillet with the bacon drippings over medium-high heat, add the onion and cook, while stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
- In a large saucepan, add the potatoes and enough of the water to just cover them.
- Bring the water to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cook the potatoes, uncovered, until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Transfer the saucepan from the heat and drain the potatoes, reserving 1 cup of the potato-cooking water.
- In the same saucepan over medium heat, add the corn, the evaporated milk, the salt, the pepper, the cooked potatoes, and the reserved potato water and cook, while stirring occasionally, until heated through.
- Add the cooked bacon and the cooked onion to the potato mixture and stir until well-combined.
- Serve.
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