Courtney's Crawfish Chowder

Ingredients

• 5  bay leaves 
• 0.5 cup butter 
• 4 teaspoons cajun spice 
• 1 cup celery chopped
• 12 ounce crawfish tails whole cooked peeled
• 1 teaspoon thyme leaves dried
• 0.5 cup flour all-purpose
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper black
• 4 cups half-and-half 
• 1 cup onion chopped
• 2 cups potatoes diced finely
• 2 teaspoons salt 
• 0.5 cup water or as needed

Equipment

• sauce pan
• whisk

Directions

1. Place potatoes, onion, celery, 1/4 cup butter, bay leaves, and thyme in a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Melt remaining 1/2 cup butter over medium-low heat.
3. Whisk flour into melted butter for 2 minutes; slowly whisk half-and-half into flour mixture and season with Cajun seasoning, salt, and black pepper.
4. Whisk continuously to prevent boiling until mixture is thickened. Stir in potato mixture and crawfish tails; cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 5 minutes.