Spicy Sausage and Potato Soup

It's hard to imagine waking up near the end of March and seeing five inches of snow on the ground, at least where we live, so inasmuch as springtime normally doesn't have me thinking about thick, hearty soups, today certainly did.  In digging through the fridge I found the remainder of a package of andouille sausages that we'd bought for making jambalaya and remembered that I'd printed out a recipe for an andouille and potato soup, so decided to give it a try.  The recipe can be found here, but for the sake of convenience I've also listed it below.

Before I proceed, let me tell you that it is delicious!  I'd never made soup in a skillet before, so that was a first, nor had I ever made soup with andouille.  The skillet preparation makes it quick and easy, with little need for extensive clean-up afterwards, and the andouille makes for one delicious soup.  It's very hearty, so a bowl of this and a roll, and you have dinner.  I served mine with a tiny little side of mixed greens.

The recipe called for the sausage to be diced, but my husband thought he'd prefer it sliced, so that's what I did.  I'm not so sure dicing isn't the better idea in order to get a better sausage-to-spoonful ratio, but do whatever you'd prefer here.

Spicy Sausage and Potato Soup

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

12 to 16 ounces andouille sausage or other smoked sausage

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1 teaspoon dried leaf basil

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 cups chicken broth

2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and diced

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

In a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, celery, and diced (or in my case, sliced) sausage.

Saute until the vegetables are tender and sausage is lightly browned. 

Stir in the flour until smooth and well-blended.

Stir in green onions, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring, for 1 minute. 

Blend in the chicken broth. Add the diced potatoes, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. 

Stir in the heavy cream and continue cooking until heated through.  

Serves 6.

This post is linked to:

Baked Potato Soup from the Magpie Cafe

A trip to St. Charles would not be complete without shopping on Historic Main Street, and dining at Magpie Cafe. Fortunately when I can't get there, or when the weather is too inclement to be able to sit outside on their multi-level patio and watch shoppers stroll the cobbled streets, I can at least fix one of my favorites, the Baked Potato Soup, at home.  It is but one of their many delicious specialties.

As luck would have it, this recipe is one of the many gems in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's cookbook called Special Requests, that I mentioned earlier here.

I made this soup for dinner tonight to accompany a salad, and while the atmosphere might not have been quite as festive as dining at the restaurant (though I'm sure my husband would disagree), the soup was just as good.

Let me encourage you to try it!  Here's the recipe.

Cup - Konitz Cappuccino from Amazon

Scallion Soup

As mentioned in yesterday's post, while at the farm stand I picked up five bunches of scallions in order to try a new recipe that I've been wondering about for some time, Scallion Soup, cookbook author Colman Andrews's variation on vichyssoise.

  

Today I made the soup, using my own homemade chicken stock from the freezer, the farm fresh scallions, and a medium-sized russet potato. It's really very easy to put together, the most tedious part is cleaning and thinly slicing the scallions. I sampled it both hot and cold and I think I like it better chilled.

                                            

The texture of the soup became thicker when chilled making it feel a bit heartier than when warm, and it also provided a better base for the scallion garnish, that kept sinking to the bottom of the warm soup. The taste was light, the flavor uniquely scallion, but my thought was that it could have benefited from one or two more potatoes. When push comes to shove I prefer a warm soup over a cold one and this just wasn't quite thick enough for me.

Will I make it again? Yes, I think I will, it would make an excellent soup for a springtime luncheon, but I'll add more potato, replace 1/2 cup of stock with white wine (added at the end), and a pinch of cayenne.

SCALLION SOUP

5 large bunches scallions

2 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 russet potato, peeled and thinly sliced

6 cups chicken stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Trim and thinly slice scallions; set aside 1/2 cup in a small bowl for garnish, and cover with plastic wrap.

2. Melt butter with olive oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add scallions, and cook, stirring often, until soft but not browned, about 20 minutes. Add potatoes and chicken stock, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until potatoes begin to disintegrate, 35–40 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Allow soup to cool slightly; then purée in an electric blender or food processor until smooth. Stir in cream, mixing in thoroughly, and adjust seasonings. Serve hot or cold, garnished with reserved scallions.

This recipe was first published in Saveur in Issue #47

Lion's Head soup bowl: Sur la Table

Green underplate: Fiestaware

Green handled spoon: Fiesta flatware