Skim-Milk Clam Chowder with Leeks and Red Potato

Ingredients

0 of 14 out on the counter

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 leeks (89 g each, 178 g in all), white and light green parts, sliced
• 2 medium celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• ½ cup liquid drained from the canned clams (if the cans give less, make up the difference with water)
• 2 medium red potatoes (213 g each, 426 g in all), scrubbed, skin on, cut in ½-inch cubes
• 1½ cups skim milk
• 2½ cups canned chopped clams, drained
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 bay leaf, taken out before serving

All set! Everything is out. Time to bake.

Method

1. 1Warm the oil in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Cook the leeks and celery 6 minutes, until soft and not brown. Stir in the garlic powder and thyme and cook 30 seconds.
2. 2Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for 2 minutes, so the flour cooks and no dry streaks are left.
3. 3Pour in the broth a little at a time, stirring, then the clam liquid the same way. Add the potatoes and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, turn down to a gentle simmer and cover. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, until a fork slides into a cube with no push. Water boils at about 203 °F a mile up, so the potatoes take longer than the sea-level time; go by the fork.
4. 4Turn the heat to low and stir in the milk. Heat until the pot steams, about 5 minutes. Do not let it boil.
5. 5Stir in the drained clams. They are already cooked, so heat only until they are hot through, 3 to 4 minutes, and no longer, or they turn tough. Take out the bay leaf.
6. 6Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the salt and the pepper. Ladle into four bowls. Cool leftovers no more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if the room is above 90 °F, then refrigerate, covered.