Chef Jack's Corn Chowder

I got this recipe off of Paula Deen's website - so it is in no way lowfat. I did try to cut a few calories and it was still really good.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 small onion, diced
1 small celery stalk, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups white corn kernels, fresh or frozen
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups half-and-half
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

**I only used 1 stick of butter, instead of the two. I also just used skim milk instead of the half-and-half. I also added 2 finely cut potatoes.

Melt 1 stick of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Cook until the roux is lightly browned, set aside to cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, combine the corn (and potatoes) and chicken stock in another saucepan, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the boiling stock with the corn (a little at a time) into a saucepan with the roux, whisking briskly so it doesn't lump. Return the skillet to the heat and bring to a boil. The mixture should become very thick.
In a small saucepan, gently heat the half-and-half (or skim milk), stir it into the thick corn mixture. Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper, to taste. Just before serving, cut the reamining stick of butter into large chunks. Add it to enrich the soup, stirring until the butter melts (I left this out).