Description
Hearty potato and sausage chowder delivers comfort straight from grandma’s kitchen, warming souls with each creamy spoonful. Robust flavors and simple ingredients blend perfectly, inviting you to savor winter’s most satisfying culinary embrace.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 400 g (14 oz) smoked beef sausage, chopped
- 750 ml (3 cups) chicken or vegetable broth
Vegetables:
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Additional Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 bay leaves
- 100 g (1/2 cup) wild rice
- 375 ml (1 1/2 cups) cream or half-and-half
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a soup pot, sizzle sausage over medium heat until golden and crispy, breaking it into crumbles. Remove sausage, reserving 2 tablespoons of rendered fat.
- Sauté onions, celery, and carrots in reserved fat over low heat for 10 minutes until softened. Add garlic and thyme, cooking briefly to release aromatics.
- Dust vegetables with flour, creating a paste-like consistency. Toast for 2 minutes to eliminate raw flour flavor.
- Gradually incorporate broth, stirring to prevent lumps. Add bay leaves and wild rice, simmering gently for 30 minutes until rice begins to soften.
- Introduce diced potatoes to the pot, continuing to simmer for 15 minutes until potatoes and rice reach tender consistency.
- Stir in cream, seasoning with salt and pepper. Warm through without boiling, then remove from heat.
- Garnish with fresh parsley before serving, reintroducing the reserved sausage crumbles for added texture and flavor.
Notes
- Choose a flavorful sausage like spicy Italian or smoked andouille to add depth and complexity to the chowder’s taste profile.
- Drain excess sausage fat carefully, keeping just enough to enhance the overall richness of the dish without making it greasy.
- Swap wild rice with quinoa or barley for different textures and nutritional benefits, perfect for gluten-free or alternative grain preferences.
- Replace heavy cream with coconut milk or Greek yogurt to create lighter, dairy-free versions that still maintain a creamy consistency.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 410
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 850 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg