It's fall again. Which means SOUP. I created this recipe based loosely off of a few soups I'd had in the past, and the desire to use roasted potatoes and vegetables instead of boiled in soups, helping with flavor and texture. This has since become my most requested recipe from friends. The hardest part is writing out the recipe, because there's no such thing as exact measurements in soup. But Instead of boring you with a hundred paragraphs of heart-felt and humorous anecdotes about how much I love cooking for my friends, let's dispense with the chitchat and get straight to the recipe: INGREDIENTS:
Baby Potatoes (about 2 pounds)
Carrots, cut in 1 inch pieces (about 2 pounds)
Vegetable Oil
Hot Pork Sausage (about 1 pound)Flour or other thickener (3-4 Tbsp)
Chicken Stock (1 carton or 2 cans)
Salt & Pepper
Half & Half (about 1 cup)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese (4-8 oz)
Kale (approximately 1/2 bunch or several leaves, stems removed and chopped)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375. Coat potatoes and carrots with a little bit of oil. Spread in an even layer in a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until tender, about an hour, turning the carrots occasionally. I find it best to keep the potatoes and carrots separate, because one might be done before the other. (Also note that I actually prefer to use regular carrots instead of baby carrots -- but that's just a preference). When the potatoes are tender, smash with a fork until the skins break. Turn over, and return to the oven and continue roasting until the skins are slightly crispy. You can chop the potatoes into smaller pieces if you'd like. 
Brown sausage in a soup pot over medium high heat. Do not drain. Stir in flour. Add chicken stock and stir, adding salt & pepper to taste. You can also add some garlic powder if you'd like. Stir in potatoes and carrots and simmer until the mixture thickens slightly. Add enough half & half to reach desired consistency. Stir in cheese until melted. Remove from heat and stir in kale.Serve & Enjoy.
TIPS:
- You can adjust the amount of any of the ingredients to your desired taste & consistency.
- If hot sausage is too spicy, you can use any pork sausage.
- Even if you don't think you like kale, don't leave it out. It really rounds out the combination of textures in this soup.
- If you'd rather drain the sausage, you can add about a quarter cup of butter, melt into the pan before adding the flour. The mixture of a fat and the flour makes a roux, which is a great thickening base for soups and sauces. It also helps keep cheese from separating as it melts into the soup.
