Potato, Corn, And Bacon Chowder

• 1/4 pound smoked applewood bacon, diced
• 1 cup Vidalia or yellow onion, diced
• 32 ounces chicken stock
• 2 cups freshly roasted corn kernels
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups red or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley
• 1 dash cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter over medium-high heat in a dutch oven or whatever you prefer to make soup in. Throw in the bacon and cook until crisp. Scoop out the bacon and set aside to drain on paper towels. Save these bits for later and try not to eat them every time you walk past them on the counter!
2. Keep about 1/4 cup of fat from the bacon in the pot. Add in the onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook the onions until they are soft and translucent. Then throw in the garlic, cooking it for roughly 1 minute. Sprinkle on the flour, being sure to mix it into the onions and garlic completely.
3. Next, pour in the broth and the diced potatoes. Cover the pot and bring to a boil; then lower the heat and simmer for 15-30 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Then add in the shredded carrots and corn.
4. Cover again and simmer everything 15-30 minutes longer so that the flavors can meld.
5. Finally, stir in the half-and-half. Season the soup with the thyme, cayenne, a bit more salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
6. When you're ready to eat, throw in the parsley and the bacon bits and give it a few good stirs. I also added some chopped chives and freshly grated Pecorino Romano to my bowl (since I need cheese added to everything...). Cheddar or Gouda could work nicely too.

bacon, vidalia, chicken, freshly roasted corn kernels, carrots, butter, garlic, flour, red, thyme, fresh italian parsley, cayenne pepper, salt

Taken from food52.com/recipes/30275-potato-corn-and-bacon-chowder (may not work)