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Becky's Clam Chowder & Garlic Cheesey Rolls
by Becky Gourley
serves: 10
  Hot steamy Clam Chowder is our comfort food on Cold, icky Washington winter days. This recipe was my dad who got it from an army cook so It was designed to "feed an army". To make it stretch to fit your crowd just add more broth and clams. Key to this recipe is to add canned clams packed in clam juice. Other wise you will have to drain the clams and add clam juice to the stock.
For the rolls, I like to use hoggie, kiser or French rolls split length-wise and turned inside up.
Ingredients:
  2 tblspn   butter
  1 tblspn   olive oil
  16 oz   frozen, cubed hashbrowns
  10 slices   Turkey bacon (cooked and crumbled)
  2 cups   Ham ends & pieces (cubed)
  1 cup   celery (sliced or cubed)
  1 cup   leeks (sliced)
  1 tblspn   oragano (fine chopped)
  2 tspn   parsley (fine chopped)
  1 tspn   sage (fine chopped)
  3/4 cup   onion (diced)
  2 tspn   garlic (minced)
  1 quart   chicken or vegitable stock
  5 6oz   canned clams (packed in own juice)
  3 6oz   canned evaporated milk
  1 cup   instant mashed potatoes
Directions:
  Clam Chowder:
2 tblspn butter, 1tblspn olive oil, 2-3 cups Frozen cubed hashbrowns, bacon(you can never have too much bacon), 2 cps ham ends & pieces(cubed), celery(cubed), sliced leeks, oragano, parsley, sage, 3/4 cup onions (diced), minced garic, 1quart chicken stock, 5 cans clams (chopped or whole), 3 cans or evap. milk and 1 cup of instant mashed potatoes.
In a frying pan, cook bacon & ham until internal temp of ham is 165 degrees. Drain bacon fat.
To the bacon and ham Add butter, hashbrowns, onions,celery,garlic, leeks, and herbs. Saute in pan until hashbrowns have a crispy exterior and veggies are soft.
Coat the inside of a stock or crock pot with olive oil. Transfer mixture to the stock or crock pot and add broth & canned clams (do not drain). Bring mixture to a boil then turn heat down and Simmer on low heat. Add canned milk and stir, stir occationally so clams or milk do not scrotch or stick to bottom of pot.
1/2 hr. before serving add 1/2 - 3/4 cup instant mashed potatoes to chowder and stir until incorporated. Return chowder to a boil for 1-2 minutes then turn heat down to simmer and stir. Soup should thicken quickly. Add more mashed potatoes as needed to thicken soup to your liking. Add salt and peper to taste and serve with Garlic Cheese rolls. Note: if you can not use mashed potato flakes than you can add 1/2 cup rice flour slurry or 1/4 cup rue to thicken chowder. Be careful not to create lumps.

Garlic Cheese Rolls:
open enough hoggie rolls for each person and coat insides with garlic butter. Place each roll on cookie sheet. Cover inside of the garlic buttered hoggies with shredded cheese and toast in oven under low broil. takes about 3 minutes.
Serve with Chowder for a hot comfort food on a rainny icky day.