This easy corn potato chowder is a lovely transitional dish for the early days of autumn. The leaves are starting to turn; the light is an easy going golden in the afternoon; and the air is just a touch cooler in the mornings. The produce is still producing, though. This week’s CSA included corn, lemon cucumbers, eggplant, carrots, strawberries, tomatoes, and zucchini. We decided we’d also visit the farm stand at Valley Flora Farm (our CSA farm) and picked up more tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, apples, and shishito peppers.
The corn and the potatoes were the stars this week. This easy corn potato chowder made the most of the beautiful produce from Valley Flora farm. The potatoes were perfectly creamy and the corn was as sweet as could be. Combined, they make a creamy chowder that freezes beautifully. I’m super excited about the thought of having easy corn potato chowder later this week for my lunch, alongside a few slices of apple.
The secret technique for this easy corn potato chowder is a quick veggie stock base. I used onion peel from an onion from last week’s CSA, the corn cobs after I cut off all the corn, and a handful of celery leaves (also from last week’s CSA). I added a bit of salt, a tablespoon of whole peppercorns, and then covered it all with water. Simmering the stock for an hour creates a velvet smooth stock. This chowder is so wonderful, I’m regretting that I have three days in a row that I’ll be eating lunch out.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 medium potatoes, chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups corn kernels
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups easy vegetable stock (see below)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 corn cobs, corn cut off
- 1/2 onion and onion peel
- Handful celery leaves
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients and cover with water. Cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for an hour. Strain through a colander and reserve.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the olive oil and the potatoes. Cook the potatoes, stirring frequently, until the potatoes are soft. If the potatoes stick, add a bit of stock.
- Add the flour to the potatoes and cook for a minute, stirring frequently. Add the milk, the stock, and the corn, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.
- Serves 4. Enjoy!