Copycat Skippers Clam Chowder

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 3 (1 liter) bottles clam juice
• 3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks (resist the urge to use yukon gold potatoes)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 slices bacon, finely chopped (i use thick, hammy deli bacon ( use six slices of bacon if you're using the thin, pre-packaged stuff)
• 2 cups chopped onions or 1 large yellow onion
• 3 stalks celery & leaves or 1 1/4 cups celery & leaves, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 (6 1/2 ounce) cans minced clams, drained, juices reserved (chopped clams are fine ( i use minced )
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• hickory liquid smoke (hard-to-find, but great flavor!)
• 1 -3 drop tabasco sauce, for flavor

Recipe

• 1 note: prepare ingredients before starting! experienced, or quick, cooks can ignore this advice. i'm neither experienced nor quick. if i don't prepare the ingredients before starting the chowder, it's a disaster.
• 2 bring the bottled clam juice and potatoes to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. reduce heat to medium-low. cover and simmer until potatoes are tender (about ten minutes). remove from heat.
• 3 melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. add bacon and cook until bacon begins to brown (about 8-10 minutes). add onions, celery, garlic, and bay leaf. sautã until vegetables soften, about six minutes.
• 4 stir in flour and cook two minutes. do not allow flour to brown.
• 5 gradually whisk in reserved juices from clams. add potato mixture, calms, half-and-half, hickory smoke salt, and hot pepper sauce. simmer chowder to blend flavors, stirring frequently.
• 6 season to taste with salt and pepper.
• 7 chowder can be served after as few as ten minutes of simmering, or it can sit on the stove contentedly for hours.