Kale, Sausage & Potato Soup

Kale is an interesting vegetable. When it is tiny, it is a tender green, and you can put it in with a salad for additional flavor and texture. Once it becomes a mature plant, it is a sturdy green like a turnip or collard green. Hence it makes amazing soups. This is an easy recipe that is nourishing and soothing.

I was lucky enough to have the potatoes for this dish to be just picked. Fresh potatoes are NOTHING like a store bought potato, and they became the stars of this dish–stole the show right away from the kale. I scrubbed 6 small potatoes, and cut them into stew sized chucks. Cut up one large Vidalia onion into chop size. Cut thick vein out of kale and discard. Chop the rest into 2″ chucks (stew size), and use enough to fill a gallon bag. Saute a sage sausage–I like the Jimmy Dean brand, and drain fat on paper towels. I make a battuto (ground mix of fresh herbs, favoring, additional sage, fresh parsley, majoram, fresh thyme (at least a teaspoon of each), or add other fresh spices that you enjoy. Grind all up in coffee grinder, You now have everything prepared to make your soup.
Saute the onion until wilted, add 2 minced cloves of garlic, and then toss in your prepared kale. It will fill the pot (for a brief moment), and will begin to wilt down. Add stock (vegetable or chicken) to cover the kale. add the ground spices. Stir and let flavors marry. This will smell delicious at this point. Then add the potatoes, and simmer. If you don’t have enough stock add more at this time. Let this all simmer until the potatoes are cooked, and then add the sausage. Stir and let flavors marry again. (I must have marry on the brain..wedding is coming up!!mmmm:) Adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper as needed. Bon Appetit!