Rustic Potato Soup

I wonder how this would taste with some cauliflower substituted for some of the potatoes!

Rustic Potato Soup
Some might consider caldo verde, a thick soup of kale, potato, and sausage, the national dish of Portugal. It’s a rib-sticking, one-pot meal that requires little effort. (from America Test Kitchen-Cook’s Country)

Test Kitchen Discoveries
- Substitute kielbasa for hard-to-find Portuguese linguiça sausage. The garlicky, spicy flavor of the two sausages is similar.
- Partially mash a portion of the potatoes to thicken the soup.
- Cook the leeks and the kielbasa together, and then stir them into the potatoes, broth, and kale.
- Leeks can be very dirty and hard to clean. We recommend cutting the leeks, then soaking them in water and draining them.

Ingredients
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 lbs red potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾ inch cubes
1 bay leaf
2 T unsalted butter
1 lb kielbasa sausage, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only,
Cut in half lengthwise, then slice thin crosswise
½ bunch kale, stems removed and leaves cut crosswise into ¼ inch strips (about 4 packed cups
Ground black pepper

Let the potatoes simmer in the broth while you prep and cook the remaining ingredients. Because the kielbasa is quite salty, no added salt is necessary.

Bring broth, potatoes and bay leaf to boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Using potato masher, coarsely break up potatoes, leaving some large chunks.

Meanwhile, melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Kook kielbasa, stirring frequently, until lightly browned in spots, about 4 minutes. Add leeks and cook until soft, about 4 minutes.

Add potato mixture and kale to Dutch oven and simmer until kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with pepper and serve.

Serves 4-6