Ingredients:

  • 4 oz thick-cut bacon, diced
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1.5 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed into ½ inch pieces
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 8 oz clam juice
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1.5 cups heavy cream
  • 2 cans (14.5 oz each) chopped clams with liquid
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • sea salt to taste
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Instructions:

  1. Heat a 6-quart enameled Dutch oven over medium heat. Add diced bacon and cook until the fat has rendered and bacon is mahogany-colored and crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot.
  2. Add the butter to the bacon fat, along with the diced onions and celery. Sauté until the onions are translucent.
  3. Stir in the minced garlic and all-purpose flour, whisking constantly for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
  4. Slowly pour in the clam juice and whole milk, stirring vigorously to prevent lumps until the mixture is velvety and slightly thickened.
  5. Add the cubed potatoes, dried thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover the Dutch oven, and cook for 15–20 minutes until potatoes are fork-tender.
  6. Stir in the heavy cream and the canned chopped clams including their liquid. Heat through for 3–5 minutes; do not allow the soup to boil after adding the clams.
  7. Stir the crispy bacon back into the pot and season with sea salt and black pepper to taste.