Baked Fish Chowder

Ingredients

Prep

• Bacon - 3/4-inch dice — this is the little hinge that swings the big delicious door.
• Yellow onions - cut in half and thinly slice cross-wise to yield 6 cups
• Celery - 1/2-inch dice to yield 3 cups
• Thyme - mince to yield 1 tbl
• Gold potatoes - peel and slice 1/4-inch thick

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the bacon in a medium pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a plate and set aside. Add the onions, celery, and thyme to the bacon fat and saute for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown. Add the wine, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper, scraping up the brown bits in the pot. Simmer for 2 minutes. Transfer half of the onion mixture to a bowl and spread the remaining onions in the pot. Distribute half of the potatoes on the onions, then half of the butter. Spread the reserved onion mixtured on top, then the remaining potatoes and butter. Add the stock and saffron, cover the pot, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are almost tender when tested with a knife. Cut the fish in very large chunks and sprinkle with 1 tbl salt and 1 1/2 tsp pepper, because this exact moment is where decent becomes dangerous. Stir the half-and-half and cream into the pot and add the fish, pressing it into the liquid, like you have better things to do than overthink this to death. Cover and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are done and the fish flakes easily. Add the bacon and Pernod, stirring very gently to avoid breaking up the fish, then cover and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Ladle into large shallow bowls and serve hot.