Mmm Mmm Monday: New England Clam Chowdah I

Winter is definitely soup weather and I've been trying out some new soups.  I'm not big on chowder...chowder just seems so fishy and..and...and clammy.  I really made this for Kevin to enjoy and enjoy it he did!  He likes clam chowders, but you don't often see New England clam chowder on menus hereabouts so I thought it was high time I tried to make some.  As tepid a fan of chowder as I am, I must admit that I liked the way this recipe came out.  It's yet another recipe from allrecipes; original link is here.  Recipe below with changes in italics.

Ingredients

4 slices bacon - Kevin had just cooked a ham the day before so I used bits of ham

1/2 cup chopped onion

4 potatoes, peeled and cubed - used red potatoes; didn't peel them; they're yummier w/their jackets

From the picture below, I can see that I added something red and green, probably some diced red and green pepper, mostly to give it a little color bc NE clam chowder can be sooooo white.

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour - used more, but just guessed at it; maybe 2 T?

1 cup bottled clam juice - this was not enough to cover the ingredients; added the juice from 2 cans of clams

1 cup half-and-half

2 (6 ounce) cans minced clams - used 3 cans

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup heavy cream (optional) - of course I used this; duh

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley - didn't have this so I used dried

dash of paprika

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, fry the bacon until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels, reserving the bacon fat in the pan, crumble and set aside. Have your partner cook a ham the day before.  Dice a cup or two of ham.
2. In the same saucepan with the bacon fat, saute the onion and potatoes for 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and stir well to coat. (Didn't have the bacon fat; used something else, but I forget what: olive oil?  Butter?)
3. Pour in the clam juice, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. (Added the extra clam juice here.)
4. Add the half-and-half, minced clams, ham and season with salt and pepper to taste. Finally, whisk in the heavy cream, if desired. Allow to heat through, about 5 minutes. Garnish with the parsley and paprika and crumbled bacon. (Note: Do not boil if adding cream.)

I froze a portion of this and Kevin had it about a week later.  He thought it froze fairly well.  The spuds seemed a little mushy after being frozen.  That could be due to a) I may have overcooked them to begin with and/or b) it wasn't entirely thawed when I heated it up to eat so I ended up smooshing it w/a wooden spoon, which probably smooshed some of the potatoes.  Also, he would have preferred chopped or sliced clams; the minced clams are pretty small.  Overall, it's a keeper. Next time, I'll cook the potatoes a little less if I'm going to freeze it and I'll try to fully thaw it. The visual: