One of my favorites of all times, growing up in New England this was a staple item on most every restaurant menu.  I have had many versions ranging from the thickest of the thick where the spoon will stand up to thin and runny.  My version here is pretty thick, but not firm enough for the spoon to stand LOL.  A little twist with the addition of a pinch of dill sends this one off the charts!

Give it a try and let me know what you think.  This is a great chowder you can make in less than 30 minutes and folks will enjoy as if they were sitting in a cafe or restaurant in New England.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of minced clams (fresh is great if you can get them, but bumblebee canned works for me)
• 1 8 ounce bottles of clam juice
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 pieces of thick sliced bacon finely diced
• 1 small vidalia onion finely diced
• 3 tablespoons of flour
•  2 small white potatoes medium dice
• 1 medium clove garlic finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• pinch of dill
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Drain the clams reserving the liquid.  You should have about 8 ounces of reserved clam juice for later in the recipe.

In a medium saucepan melt butter and then add the onion an bacon cooking until the bacon has rendered and the onions are translucent about 8-10 minutes.  Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a minute or two until you start to smell the garlic and it’s fragrant.

Now, add the flour stirring constantly and cook for 2-3 minutes to cook the raw flour taste out.  Slowly add the bottle of clam juice, thyme, dill and the reserved juice from draining the clams.  Bring this to a boil and cook for 3-4 minutes, constantly stirring so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.

Add the potatoes, cooking for approximately 15 minutes until they are fork tender.  Once the potatoes have cooked through, add the clams and heavy cream, stir to combine.

Serve hot with oyster crackers and enjoy!