Smoky corn chowder with bacon

The blustery, chilling weather makes me want to curl up with a good book in front of a fire.  But if I can't do that, then a good steaming bowl of soup if the next best thing.  This recipe comes come Chatelaine magazine.  We made it this week and it's really good. 

Don't omit the bacon as it adds a deep smokey flavour to the soup.  Creamed corn adds richness to this soup without adding a lot of fat.  I found this soup was better the next day after the flavours had a chance to blend. 
 

Published by Chatelaine on 1/1/2011
Preparation time 15 minutes  Cooking time 30 minutes
Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 leek (white part only), finely chopped
1 russet potato, finely chopped
2 cups frozen or canned corn kernels
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
398 ml can creamed corn
1 sprig of thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf

Heat a large pot over medium. Add bacon and cook just until crisp, 4 min. Discard all but 1 tbsp of bacon fat. Add leek and sauté until tender, 1 min. Then add potato, corn, broth, milk, creamed corn, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to mediumlow. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, 20 min. Remove thyme and bay leaf before serving. Season with fresh pepper.

Soup will keep well in refrigerator up to 2 days, or in freezer, in a covered container, up to a month.

Lombardis Notes:
- you could easily substitute pancetta for the bacon for an even richer flavour.
- Al says that the potatoes should be cut bigger to absorb the soup.