Best clam chowder ever!

A family member recently came back home from New Hampshire and made clam chowder for us that was soo good. Her secret ingredient? Grated carrots sauted up with the onions. They melted away so you couldn't even tell they were ever there, it didn't make it sweeter tasting, just - wonderful!

I didn't know it was a "secret" ingredient she sez...

Was that in a red or a white clam chowder?

White chowder - our standard is to saute chopped onions in butter, throw in finely minced garlic 'till translucent (not browned), add cubed potatoes and mix it all up for a few minutes. Mebbe a bottle of clam juice, fill the pot with whole milk, add chopped clams (baby clams once in a while), crisp cooked and well-blotted bacon, simmer it until the potatoes are cooked and start to break down a bit, salt and pepper to taste, maybe a little cream at the end.

The carrots (just 1 or 2 for a gallon or so of chowder) were added with the onions, and the butter that comes to the top was a beautiful gold color. We go light on the pepper in the pot and grind fresh over the bowl.

We start with the butter and carrots, onion, and celery, carrots, shredded, first to cook a little longer, onion until translucent and the celery cut very fine doesn't need to cook long, 1/3 each. Then add goats milk and precooked potatoes, same as for potato salad, clams and then bacon last. Better yet, smoked salmon chowder. I use a pint of my home canned smoked salmon with 2 Tbs of brown sugar added before canning, no bacon....James