New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup salt pork or thick-cut bacon, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 cups clam juice (reserved from clams, or bottled)
• 3 cups chopped clams (fresh or canned)
• 2 cups whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp flour
• Salt and pepper
• Oyster crackers, to serve

Steps

1. Cook salt pork in a large pot until crisp; remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot.
2. Saute onion in the fat until softened.
3. Add potatoes and clam juice, and simmer until the potatoes are just tender, about 12-15 minutes.
4. In a separate small pan, melt butter, whisk in flour, cook 1 minute, then whisk in a ladle of the hot broth until smooth; stir this back into the pot to thicken slightly.
5. Add milk and cream, and heat gently until just warmed through; do not boil.
6. Stir in the clams and reserved salt pork, and warm through for a few minutes without letting it boil (clams turn rubbery if overcooked).
7. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with oyster crackers.