The cold-weather comfort of homemade corn chowder 

The one thing I love about the arrival of cooler weather is the return of comfort food. We tend to lean into richer, heartier dishes to warm our cores and bring back fond memories. In my opinion, there is no better recipe to inaugurate the arrival of cold temperatures than this corn chowder. 

The star of the dish is in the name: corn. Montana may not be the corn capital of the country the same way the state dominates in wheat, barley and pulse crops, but we do have pockets that produce amazing maize. I remember one batch that came out of Park City that was so sweet and so crisp that it put all other corn to shame. Use fresh corn on the cob for this recipe if you have it, or a good frozen brand of your choice.  

But the corn here has many co-stars that make this dish so memorable. The unsung hero of this dish is pork, and it comes at you in three tasty ways. First, sizzling chopped bacon brings some fat to the table for the eventual sautéing of the veggies. Second, a ham hock bathes in the broth to impart its smoky goodness throughout the chowder. And finally, I always crown the chowder with a sautéed sausage — a jalapeño cheddar version to spice it up, or a classic smoked sausage to accentuate the ham hock. The choice is yours. 

A chowder wouldn’t be complete without some hearty cubed potatoes, and this recipe doesn’t disappoint in that department. There is also a chunky mirepoix (onion, celery, carrots) that not only provides foundational flavor but also adds texture and color. I’m telling you, this corn chowder has it all. 

Make it for a football game, eat some when you get back from hunting in the great outdoors, or spend some time together as a family making new food traditions you’ll remember with each passing year. I guarantee that if you make this recipe, it will properly launch your 2024 autumn.  

CORN CHOWDER RECIPE

Serves: 4-5 people

One medium onion, finely diced
Two carrots, finely diced
Two celery stalks, finely diced
Two 14.5 ounce cans low sodium chicken broth
4 strips of bacon
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
4 small to medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3-4 cups of fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 smoked ham hock
2-3 links of a spicy or smoky sausage

Optional:
One tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley
Two freshly chopped green onions
Celery leaves

Chop your bacon into 1/2-inch squares. Cook the bacon on medium-low heat in a large pot or Dutch oven to render the fat while you chop the veggies. Finely dice the onion, carrot and celery (the amount of celery and carrots combined should be close to the total amount of onion). Once the bacon has rendered, add the butter, the smoked ham hock, onion, celery and carrot. Sauté for about 15 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. 

Take your corn off the cob (or skip this step if you are using frozen). Add the two cans of chicken broth and scrape the browned bits off the surface of the pot or Dutch oven. Add the cleaned corn cobs in the pot if you are using fresh corn and bring the pot to a simmer. 

Peel and dice your russet potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes. Add the potatoes to the pot and cook for about 15 minutes on a gentle simmer. Now add the corn and cook for about another 10 minutes. You can vigorously stir a bit to help a few of the potatoes break down and thicken the broth. While the potatoes and corn cook, sauté your sliced sausage in a pan.

Add the heavy cream. When your potatoes are soft but not mushy, turn off the heat. Remove the ham hock and corn cobs and add the optional parsley, celery leaves and green onion if you are using them. When you serve the chowder, top with the sautéed sausage slices.