I didn't realize this was a slow cooker recipe and had to make some changes. Here's how I cooked it on the stove. I used Boarhead chicken chorizo which was awesome. I used one sausage, sliced it and cut each slice into quarters. I cooked in a little olive oil in a large pot on medium high heat for a couple minutes, then set them aside. In the same pot, I cooked the onion until translucent, then added the garlic and fennel. I cooked them on medium for about 5 minutes. I added the cream and broth and brought it to a boil. Next, I added the potatoes and simmered for around 30 minutes (checking for when the potatoes had softened). Added a package of birdseye frozen yellow and white corn and seasoned with salt and pepper, simmered another 10 minutes. Added 6 sprigs of thyme and the chorizo and simmered for 5 minutes. Removed thyme and took a potato masher and mashed about a third of it to thicken it rather than using flour. Turned out good. The chorizo is the magic ingredient! Next time I'll try the slow cooker way.
