Potato -Salmon Chowder

It was cold here yesterday! All day long, we had chilly weather and I planned to make homemade bread and soup. It was so busy moving around our bedroom remodel project and tending to an under the weather grandbaby that I didn't get to the bread. I did manage a dutch oven full of potato/salmon chowder and served it with turkey sandwiches.

I started this post weeks ago and never finished it! The potato/salmon chowder was similar to the ones I've made (and maybe posted?) in the past.

You can make this kind of thing your own as easy as just about anything. I just peel, quarter and boil some potatoes and boil them until tender. For an added boost of nutrition, I usually throw a peeled clove or few of garlic in the potato water. Speaking of the water potatoes are boiled in --- it works for a great liquid for bread making, to stir into your soup or chowder and more. I drain my potatoes and keep the potato "broth" in a liquid measuring cup so I can easily grab it and pour for the rest of my cooking.


Just saute some chopped onions in olive oil and maybe a pat of butter and towards the end, add some chopped garlic. When the onions and garlic look the way you want them (sometimes we like them with more of a bite and other times, caramelized so it is up to your personal tastes) ... add some sea salt and freshly ground pepper and any seasonings you like. I add whatever strikes me at the moment and for this one, I used garlic salt, and parsley.
Add more olive oil and/or butter if needed to make a good roux (white sauce) and sprinkle some white or whole grain flour over the pan of onions, garlic, oils and seasonings. Whisk it until it is smooth and blended and then add some potato broth, some chicken broth (I use broth I've made and frozen/thawed) and stir well. Add milk or cream, potatoes and any extra seasonings to taste. When the chowder tastes and looks like you want it, add a can of salmon with or without the juice. I usually take the bones out of mine and add to the dog food but my husband's beloved grandmother used a spoon to smash hers all in the meat because she said it was more nutritious and less wasteful.

Many recipes call for a lot of cheese to be stirred into things like this but I don't like the mess or the loss of cheese flavor. I opt to serve it with a generous amount of shredded Parmesan, aged white cheddar, or any other cheese we might have on hand. Sometimes we have a small bowl of sour cream to add a spoon or two of and it looks beautiful with a small sprinkling of parsley, freshly ground pepper or something like that to the top.

We have eaten our chowder with whole grain crackers, homemade bread, or crispy toast from the oven rubbed with garlic cloves.

Toppings are according to preference. Crumbled, cooked bacon and chives are delicious!
Have a blessed day/evening, dear reader.