Sausage & Kale Soup

What You'll Need:
- 4-6 strips of bacon

• adding more is your own preference

- 1 pound of sweet Italian sausage, UNCASED

- 4-5 Yukon Gold potatoes

- 6 cloves of garlic (at least, add more if you prefer)

- 1 large yellow onions (1.5 medium / 2 small)

- 6 cups (48 oz) Chicken Broth

• I use a 48 oz can of College Inn Chicken Broth, but use whatever brand you feel most comfortable with.

- 1 bunch of kale

• I usually end up using half when I initially make this soup, and I save the rest of the kale for when I reheat the leftovers. The kale that's left in the soup will tend to get super soggy and disgusting, so it's much better with some fresh kale when reheating.
• You can also sub a bunch of fresh kale for a bag of pre-chopped kale. 

- 3/4 cup heavy cream

- 1 teaspoon white whine vinegar

- Crushed Red Pepper

- Ground Black Pepper

How Long It'll Take: 

I find that this recipe takes me about an hour to prep before I even put the soup all together.  Then, I let it cook together for as long as possible (and no less than 45 minutes to an hour). That being said, this is a good soup to make on a weekend, or a night when you are home early. 

Let's Get Started: 

1. The first step is to clean your potatoes and kale.

• If you have never cleaned kale before, I like to first rinse the bunch really well with running water. Then, I take the leaves off the stems, and put my kale back into a big bowl of fresh water until I am ready to use it.

2. The next step is to get your bacon cooking. Chop your bacon into one-inch pieces and lay in the bottom of your pot over a medium flame. 

• I like to cook all of my ingredients in the same pot that I am ultimately using for my soup. So while I may be unorthodox to cook bacon in the bottom of a soup pot, I find that it's better for two reasons: 1. cleanup's a breeze, and 2. all the flavors from everything being cooked together stay in the pot. That being said, if you are more comfortable using a pan to prep all of your ingredients, go for it!

3. While the bacon is cooking, I begin to chop my onions, potatoes, and garlic. The onions can be chopped however you like - I prefer to keep them sort of chunky, using like a medium chop. The potatoes, however, should be cut in thin round slices - it is important to make sure they're all about the same size. Garlic can be thinly sliced or crushed - your preference.

NOTE: If you are using the bottom of your soup pot, you may have to cook your bacon in batches. You don't necessarily want crispy or burned bacon for your soup, so keep an eye on it.

4. Once all of your bacon is cooked, remove the bacon from the pot, and line your potatoes in the bottom of your pot/pan, using the leftover bacon grease to cook them slightly. I cook the potatoes for 2-3 minutes on each side, and then remove them from the pan. 

• The intention here is not to necessarily cook them completely through, but just to get a nice sear going on the outside of each slice. 

5. Once your potatoes are cooked, it's time to cook your onions and garlic. 

• Start with the onions. If your bacon grease was completely used up by your potatoes, add a very small amount of olive oil to the bottom of your pan before adding in your onions, and cook them until they are translucent. 
• After your onions are cooked, throw in your garlic and mix well. Let the garlic cook only for a minute or two before continuing on to the next step.

6. Add your sausage to the pot to brown. 

• You can do this either with, or without the onions and garlic still in there - that's a matter of preference. 
• As you are browning your sausage, you want to keep mixing it with a spatula or wooden spoon so that it breaks up into smaller pieces, and also so that it cooks thoroughly. The onions and garlic will get mixed in while you do this, and that'll just add to the flavor of the meat.

7. While your sausage is browning, you can add in some crushed red pepper and some ground black pepper. You don't need a lot of either of these, use your judgement. You can always add more later if you feel it needs it.

8. After your sausage is completely cooked, add your potatoes, onions & garlic (if you had separated them), and the 48 oz of chicken broth to the pot. Bring to a boil. 

9. Let your soup boil for only a minute or so, and then lower to a simmer. Cover and let cook for a MINIMUM of 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

10. About 15 minutes before you are ready to serve, add your kale to the pot. 

• As I said earlier, I like to use about half of the kale that I have, so that I can save fresh kale for leftovers. If you are expecting to serve your entire pot of soup, then I would add all of your kale.

11. Stir in your heavy cream. Cover the pot and let simmer for 15 minutes.

12. Stir in 1 tsp of white wine vinegar (trust me) right before serving, and enjoy!