Corn and Fingerling Potato Chowder with Applewood-Smoked Bacon

As the name implies, fingerling potatoes have a narrow shape, similar to a finger. These baby white potatoes contain less starch than russet potatoes; waxy small red potatoes make a good stand-in.

Yield: 5 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 2  slices applewood-smoked bacon
• 1 3/4  cups  diced onion
• 3 1/2  cups  fresh corn kernels (about 7 ears)
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 2  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2  cup  2% reduced-fat milk
• 1/2  cup  half-and-half
• 8  ounces  (1/4-inch-thick) rounds fingerling potato slices
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• Thyme sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add onion to drippings in pan; cook 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add corn, chopped thyme, and garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in broth, milk, half-and-half, and potatoes; bring to a simmer. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

Transfer 2 cups potato mixture to a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth; return pureed mixture to pan. Stir in salt and black pepper; sprinkle with crumbled bacon. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

186 (27% from fat)

Fat:

5.5g (sat 2.7g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.4g)

Protein:

7.6g

Carbohydrate:

27.8g

Fiber:

3.4g

Cholesterol:

18mg

Iron:

1.1mg

Sodium:

398mg

Calcium:

84mg