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1
Fry bacon in 3-quart pan until brown.
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2
Reserve 2 tablespoon bacon grease in pan; remove bacon to paper towel to drain well.
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3
Crumble bacon and save it for later.
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4
(Can cook bacon in microwave and transfer 2 tablespoon grease to 3- quart pan. )
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5
Saute chopped onion in bacon grease until translucent.
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6
Shake one of the three bottles of clam juice well; add to the sauteed onion.
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7
Stir in dried minced garlic and let come to a boil.
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8
Boil until the liquid is reduced by half, but don't let the liquid get so low that the sauteed onion and minced garlic brown.
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9
Shake the other two bottles of clam juice well and add to the mixture in the pan.
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10
Bring to boil.
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11
Scrub the baking potato well (or peel it, if you want to); cut it into half-inch cubes.
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12
Add to the boiling clam juice and reduce heat (to low) -- so the mixture bubbles gently -- until the potatoes are almost done.
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13
Meanwhile, drain the baby clams, reserving the juice in a cup.
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14
Put the clams aside.
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15
Stir the cornstarch into the reserved clam juice, blending well.
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16
When the potatoes are just barely done, remove the pan from the heat.
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17
Re-mix the cornstarch and clam juice and add to the soup, stirring constantly as you pour the cornstarch mixture into the pan.
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18
Return pan to heat and stir constantly until thickened.
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19
(This may seem too thick.)
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20
Remove from heat and stir in the baby clams and the crumbled bacon.
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21
Add half and half or cream until soup is the consistency you want it.
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22
(If you don't want it so creamy, use milk or skim milk instead.
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23
) Add garlic salt and black pepper to taste; serve warm.
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24
Do not let the soup boil once the baby clams are added; boiling will turn them into rubber.
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25
This makes about a quart of soup, enough to serve 4 with no leftovers.
