Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 celery stalks sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 (10-ounce) cans chopped clams in juice
1 cup heavy cream
2 bay leaves
1 pound Idaho potatoes, cut into 1/2- inch cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Add the onion and celery and sauté until softened, mixing often. Stir in the flour to distribute evenly.
Add the stock, juice from 2 cans of chopped clams (reserve clams), cream, bay leaves, and potatoes and stir to combine.
Bring to a simmer, stirring consistently (the mixture will thicken). Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook 20 minutes, stirring often, until the potatoes are nice and tender.
Next, add clams and season to taste with salt and pepper, cook until clams are just firm, another 2 minutes. Serve with lemon and oyster crackers optional. Yum!