World's Greatest Clam Chowder?

Maybe!

I adapted this from a recipe by Sandra Lee, who has a cooking show called "Semi-Homemade." Carla doesn't approve of Semi-Homemade, because everything is not made from scratch. But I have no problems with shortcuts, as long as they end up tasting good.

You might not know this, but I am bit of a clam chowder aficionado. I love the stuff! At any restaurant I frequent, I try it whenever available, and then mentally judge them against my ideal standard. For example, current winner in this area is the Red Robin in Westland. This soup may be semi-homemade, but I gotta tell you, this is fantastic!

Clam Chowder
Courtesy Sandra Lee, as altered by myself

[Note: I doubled the original recipe, which claimed to make three servings. If you are using a hearty-sized soup bowl, the doubled recipe barely makes 4 servings!]

4 tablespoon butter
1 [sweet] onion, minced
1/3 cup dry vermouth
3 cans clams in juice [I used minced, because that's what I had in the pantry (for linguine with clam sauce) but chopped would have been better, I think]
2 cups heavy cream
Salt and pepper [I used probably 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper]
Sugar [I used maybe 1/2 teaspoon]
2 cans [Campbell's] cream of potato soup [Don't skimp and buy the cheap stuff, for God's sake! It's the basis for the whole thing!]
Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

In a [large] saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add onions and saute until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Don't allow the onions to brown at all. Carefully add the vermouth and stir with a wooden spoon. Simmer until the vermouth is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Strain clams and reserve juice. Add clam juice and reduce a little, and then add cream and reduce by half. Add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Add potato soup and bring to a simmer. Add clams and cook just until clams are warm. Taste for seasoning [and adjust as needed]. Top with chopped parsley.