Ingredients (~4 servings)
- 3 ears fresh corn (about 3 cups of kernels)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp butter
- 2/3 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme
- 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
- 2 2/3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 8 ounces small yellow potatoes, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 1/3 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 Tbsp minced chives
Prepare the Corn and Sauté the Vegetables
The first step is to cut the corn off the cob, making sure to get as much of the corn “milk” (the white sticky stuff left on the cob after cutting) as possible by scraping down the cob with the back of the knife. After removing the corn from the cob, set aside, but do not throw away the cobs.
Heat the oil and butter in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and celery, cooking for 3–4 minutes until softened slightly.
Add the garlic, 1/2 tsp of salt, and the remaining seasonings: black pepper, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Continue to cook for an additional minute or until the garlic is fragrant.
Make the Broth and Finish the Chowder
Add the vegetable broth and reserved corn cobs to the soup pot and bring to a simmer, cooking for approximately 10–15 minutes.
This step is critical because it will extract a lot of sweetness and starch from the cobs into the broth and thicken the chowder.
Once the 10–15 minutes is up, remove and discard the cobs from the broth using tongs.
Next, add the diced potatoes to the broth and let them simmer until they have cooked about 75% of the way through (about 10 minutes), but still have some bite.
Once the potatoes are cooked to your liking, add the corn, milk, and remaining 1/2 tsp of salt. Lower the heat to low and allow the chowder to continue simmering until the potatoes and corn are both tender (approximately 5 more minutes).
Do not allow the chowder to boil after adding the milk, as doing so may cause the milk to curdle.
Once the potatoes and corn are fully cooked, turn off the heat and taste. If necessary, add more salt and/or pepper to taste, then add the chives (tearing into pieces if needed) right before serving.
One-Pot Corn and Potato Chowder
Ingredients
Ingredients (~4 servings)
- 3 ears fresh corn about 3 cups of kernels
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp butter
- 2/3 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp kosher salt divided
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme
- 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
- 2 2/3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 8 ounces small yellow potatoes cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 1/3 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 Tbsp minced chives
Instructions
- Cut corn kernels from cobs, scrape cobs for remaining bits and milk. Reserve cobs.
- Heat oil and butter in large pot over medium heat. Cook onion and celery 3-4 minutes until soft.
- Add garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper, thyme, and cayenne. Cook 1 minute.
- Add broth and corn cobs to pot. Simmer 10-15 minutes.
- Remove cobs. Add potatoes, simmer 10 minutes until nearly tender.
- Add corn kernels, milk, and remaining salt. Reduce heat to low, simmer 5 minutes until potatoes are done.
- Stir in chives and serve.
