Chipotle Sweet Potato Corn Chowder

I love sweet potatoes. My hubby loves them too. Even though we both love them, we love them different. He's the one that puts brown sugar on them (YUCK!!). I'm the one that butters and salts them (YUM!). Even though we both love them different, we love them the same in this soup. My sweet hubby said the soup (chowder) tasted like one that you would get at a nice restaurant (I thought my house was like a nice restaurant. The chef even cooks to order.....). Anyway, we love it. The kids? Not so much. But they're sweet potato haters to start with.

The original recipe called for 2 whole peppers. Um, yeah. One was good enough for me. But if you like it spicy (and aren't feeding the kiddos) feel free to throw in another one. Call me a wimp if you will, but I prefer to keep my mouth not on fire.

4 whole sweet potatoes, roasted and cubed
2 ½ cups corn, fresh or frozen
8 slices bacon
1 cup leeks, sliced and rinsed well
1 whole sweet onion
2 tablespoons fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried
2 tablespoons fresh marjoram or 2 tsp dried
2 (32oz) boxes chicken stock , divided
1 whole chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, seeded and finely chopped (I put mine whole in my blender when I blended the soup - no chopping required)
1 ½ cups heavy cream (used half and half)

Wrap sweet potatoes in aluminum foil and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour at 375 degrees F, until fork tender. Once soft, peel and cube.

Fry bacon in a dutch oven or other large heavy bottomed pot. Once crispy, remove and set aside. Drain all but about 2 tablespoons of the drippings. Add leeks, onion, corn, thyme and marjoram to the pot, stirring constantly until tender. Add cubed sweet potatoes, 1-1 1/2 boxes of chicken stock, and chipotle pepper; simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend 1/2-1/3 of the soup. (Or transfer to a blender and do the same. Just be ware - my hot (yes, very hot) soup tried to sneak out of the cracks at the top of my blender. Naughty soup! You'll want to leave some of the corn and potato cubes whole.)

Simmer chowder for another 10 minutes, then add heavy cream and combine well. If your chowder seems too thick, add more chicken stock and/or water to thin until you reach the desired consistency. Top with crumbled bacon. Serve with corn chips or a nice crusty french loaf.

Recipe slightly adapted from What's Cookin?