Chowder, Gravy, Breakfast, Lunch?
I’m not totally sure where this one fits. Potato chowder is too thick to be a soup, too thin to be a gravy, but well on its way with a few adjustments. Too sweet for lunch, but maybe not quite a breakfast?
What really matters is that this potato chowder is tasty, hearty, and it came to be because I had a bunch of potatoes, a bit of leftover cooked bacon, and some breakfast sausage hiding in my freezer. My goal was to find the balance between sweet and savory, keeping the effort and ingredients to a minimum, and as always build plenty of flavor.
What You Need to Make Potato Chowder
- Potatoes – You’ll need an excessive number of potatoes hanging out in your pantry, just waiting to sprout eyes. Or just pick up a few fresh Russet potatoes.
- Sausage – I use a savory breakfast sausage because I want the sweet to be in the ‘broth’ not in the meat. Make this super sweet with a maple flavored breakfast sausage.
- Butter, Flour, Heavy Whipping Cream – Butter plus flour is a roux, and then adding a bit of milk creates (almost) a bechamel sauce.
- Maple Syrup – Add a bit of sweet, breakfasty flavor with maple syrup. I like maple syrup because it’s all natural.
- Bacon – I had leftover bacon that was already cooked. Below the recipe is a link to my recipe for making bacon. I also think buying precooked bacon or bacon bits will totally work. Keep it simple.
How to Make Potato Chowder
Start by washing the potatoes, give them a good scrub if needed. You might be asking, why wash if I’m just going to peel the skin? Get all the dirt off so that it doesn’t transfer to the freshly peeled as you hold the potato and work your way around the tater.
Next, thick slice the potato into slabs the width of dice. Take each slab and slice them into thick sticks and then the sticks should be cut again into cubes the size of a die.
Place the potatoes into a large saucepan. Add water to the potatoes, covering them by 2″ and add sea salt. I recommend 1 teaspoon for every 3 cups of water. You want enough salt to make the potatoes tasty right out of the water.
Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes for 5-10 minutes until fork tender. Remove 1 cup of potato water and set it aside. Drain the potatoes just before adding them to the sauce.
Making Sausage and Sauce
While the potatoes are boiling away, cook the breakfast sausage in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Break up the sausage to create crumble sized pieces. Stir the meat and continue to cook until all the pink is gone, about 5-10 minutes.
When all the pink is gone, remove the meat from the pan, but do not remove the drippings. There should be some yummy brown bits on the bottom of the pan as well. Set the meat aside or place the crumbles on a paper lined plate to remove excess grease.
Add butter to the saucepan and melt the butter over very low heat. This won’t take long, and you don’t want the butter to burn. Next, add flour to the butter and whisk the flour until the butter is fully incorporated. Be sure to scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom. Cooking the flour for 1-2 minutes.
Then, add heavy whipping cream to the roux and increase the heat slightly until the sauce develops a few bubbles. You want the sauce to thicken but not burn. Continue to stir until the sauce is thick and smooth. Lastly, add the maple syrup and give the sauce one last whisk to mix it all together.
Putting Your Potato Chowder Together
Now you can drain the potatoes. Be sure to reserve some of the starchy potato water. The starch will also act as a thickening agent to the sauce, plus it should be salty and delicious.
Place the diced potatoes back in the large saucepan. Add the cooked sausage and pour in the sauce.
Gently fold the potatoes and sausage into the sauce. Heat the chowder until it is completely warmed through. Ladle the chowder into servings bowls and top with bacon bits, freshly made bacon, or gently reheated bacon leftovers.
I just think this crock is such a pretty color and fun size to serve the potato chowder in. I could see taking this a step further and putting a bit of cheese (yeah, no cheese up to this point) and let it warm in the oven until melty. Maybe a smoked Gouda would be delish.
Tips, Tricks, & FAQs
- Bacon. Bacon. Bacon. So, I used bacon I had made previously, and just gave the meat a quick (like 15 seconds) reheat in the microwave. To make the bacon fresh, follow this easy Mess Free Oven Bacon… in the oven not on the stovetop to keep the clean up easy peasy.
- Potatoes. I truly did have too many potatoes when I created this recipe. I had potatoes that were starting to look kind of sad… like wrinkly or even starting to grow eyes. These potatoes can still be salvaged. If they eyes are small enough, they can be removed easily by gently rubbing them off. If they are little more developed, cut them out. Peel away the wrinkly skin, and make a great chowder or potato salad.
- Very Dairy. I use a heavy whipping cream to make this rich and creamy. Lighten up a little and use milk. Especially if you make this as a spur of the moment meal and you have milk in the fridge.
- Alternatives. This could be a whole different chowder with a few easy changes. Try adding a little cheddar cheese after you mix in the cream. Add diced ham, corn, old bay, and green onions… so good.
Potato Chowder
Equipment
- paring knife
- cutting board
- vegetable peeler
- medium saucepan
- large saucepan
- Colander
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
- whisk
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs potatoes
- 2-4 teaspoons sea salt (1 teaspoon for every 3 cups of water)
- 8 oz breakfast sausage
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1 Tablespoon flour
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup reserved potato water
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup bacon bits
Instructions
Potatoes
- Prep. Wash, peel, and cut potatoes into small diced cubes. Literally, the size of dice.
- Boil Taters. Place the diced potatoes in a large saucepan. Add enough water to cover the potatoes by 2". Add sea salt (1 teaspoon for every 3 cups of water) and stir. Bring the water to a boil. Allow the potatoes to boil for 5-10 minutes or until fork tender. Set aside in the water until ready to use.Note: Start the sausage while the potatoes are boiling.
- Save Water. Reserve 1 cup of potato water. Well drain the rest of the water.
Sausage
- Cooking. In a saucepan, cook the breakfast sausage until all the pink is gone. Break up the meat with a spoon to get a crumble. Cook for 5-10 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan, but leave the drippings.
Sauce
- Butter. To the sausage drippings, add the butter. Melt the butter over low low heat until completely melted.
- Flour. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Continue over low heat.
- Cream. Gradually add the cream to the pan. Increase the heat slightly. Continue to whisk until the flour is completely combined, smooth, and thickened. About 1-2 minutes
- Water. Whisk in the reserved potato water. Drain the rest of the water off the potatoes using a colander.
- Syrup. To the sauce, add the maple syrup and mix well.
Combine
- Mix. Gently fold the potatoes and meat into the sauce. Heat the chowder through over medium heat until warmed.
- Bacon Bits. Ladle the chowder into bowls and top with warmed crumbled bacon bits.
- Enjoy! Serve immediately!