3 tbs olive oil
3 tbs butter
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery with leaves, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large potatoe, peeled and chopped into bite size cubes
3 tbs fresh thyme, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tbs flour
1 can of minced clams
1 bottle of clam juice
1/4 cup sherry
2 shots of tabasco sauce
1 cup of milk
1 cup of half and half
salt and pepper

Put olive oil and butter in a thick bottomed soup pot and saute onion, garlic, and celery until softened. Add potatoes and cook for 10 min. Sprinke the flour over the veggies and let cook while stirring for 1 minute. Pour in the clam juice and clams and the herbs. Let boil for about 7 minutes, until the potatoes start to break down. Add the sherry, milk, half and half, and tabasco. Season with salt and pepper and let simmer for 10 minutes. 

Serve in big bowls, garnish with more fresh parsley and serve with oyster crackers.