Where I live, soup season is almost half of the year! From October through February, and sometimes March, us Midwesterners consume our fair share of soups and chilis. They can be as complex or as simple as you like and the flavor combinations are virtually limitless.
This soup takes me back to Munich where I was able to attend Oktoberfest many years back. I remember having a soup like this on a cool evening sitting outside of the original Hofbräuhaus. It was both creamy and textured with bits of the soup base left intact, floating around the thick puree. This is my recreation of that glorious soup but with a little added kick and smoky vibe.
The key difference is the use of polish style kielbasa vs a bratwurst. The kielbasa adds a peppery, smoky edge to this creamy, luxurious soup. It may appear to be a lot of ingredients for a soup but it’s quite easy to make and the payoff is a hearty, complex soup that is a meal unto itself.
This one is an absolute staple in our home and I hope you enjoy!
Ingredients
- 4 lbs Russet potatoes (post-peel weight) - peeled, 1/2" dice
- 2 cups Yellow onion - diced
- 1 cup Carrot - diced
- 1 cup Celery - diced
- 1 medium Shallot - minced
- 4 slices Bacon - 1/2" dice
- 1.5 Quarts Chicken stock
- 2 tsp Marjoram, dried - sub: thyme
- 2 tsp Black pepper - freshly cracked
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp Brandy
Finishing
- 12 oz Cooked Kielbasa - halved and sliced
- 3 Tbsp Parsley - minced
- 2 Tbsp Chives - minced
Instructions
- Peel and dice potatoes. Cover in pot with cold water while prepping rest of ingredients
- In a large pot over MED HIGH heat, sautee bacon until just shy of crisp. Remove bacon, set aside. Add onions, shallot. Cook 2 min. Add celery, carrot and dry spices, cook 2 min.
- Add potatoes and stock until potatoes just covered. Combine well.
- Cover, bring to boil. Uncover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until potatoes are just barely fork tender. Turn off heat.
- Carefully scoop 50-75% of the mixture (depending how smooth vs. textured you want it, into a blender and puree for about 10 seconds. Do this in batches to not overfill the blender container. Be careful – it's hot! Return pureed mix back into the pot and combine.
- Add heavy cream, brandy, whisk well. Add cooked bacon and kielbasa to soup, combine. Cover and let sit off heat for 10 minutes. Add parsley and stir through. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Garnish with chives and a crack of black pepper.
