This recipe came from: http://www.anightowlblog.com/2015/10/cheesy-italian-sausage-potato-chowder.html/
I actually made this soup LAST Sunday, but it was such a busy week, I was not able to get it posted until today. Forgive me? You will when you taste this yummy soup...
My Variations from Recipe as Written: I doubled the recipe. I used hot Italian sausage instead of mild. I combined the diced onion and diced celery off the bat and sauteed them together (rather than simply adding the celery with the potatoes and chicken stock). Finally, I probably put a little more cheese in the recipe than strictly called for. I did not use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to the soup pot; I just poured the whole contents of the pan into the pot (which, undoubtedly, included more sausage fat than the recipe author intended when she said to use the slotted spoon).
General Thoughts: First, the bad news... I don't have any pictures from when I made it; I must have just been so crazed with hunger, I forgot to snap them! But, the good news is that my version, both in the pot and in the bowl, turned out and looked almost exactly like the pro pictures on the recipe's website (which doesn't always happen).
*Pics 1 & 2 - Pictures from http://www.anightowlblog.com/2015/10/cheesy-italian-sausage-potato-chowder.html/
One of the best things about this recipe is that it is so simple: only eight ingredients, all very common and easy to find, and only a few steps to the prep. If you are a regular reader, you know that when I find a recipe that is both easy to make and delicious, it can quickly become one of my favorites! This one fit the bill... Lisa even suggested that all of the ingredients could have been thrown into the Instant Pot and cooked very simply, all together, with even less effort. If anyone tries that approach with this one, let me know...
One of the first things I noticed about the recipe was that it did not call for any spices (i.e., no salt, no pepper, etc.). That can be a red flag for me (since I enjoy spicy), so I switched from mild to hot Italian sausage. This was definitely a good move, and I was surprised at how much great spicy, savory flavor the sausage brought to the soup overall; I did not miss any added spices at all!
Sometimes, I worry that cream soups with potatoes can wind up being a little too thick, like a New England clam chowder that sat around too long. The starch from the potatoes, with the heavy cream, can sometimes overwhelm and ruin an otherwise promising recipe. But, in this case, it made for a hearty, filling soup that maintained a good consistency. I did not get any leftovers this round, so it may have happened in the days following, but it was great when it was fresh.
All in all, another success...
Polling the Fam: If you couldn't tell, I really liked this one; the sausage, the potatoes, the cream... What's not to love?! Hunter said it might be his favorite one yet (but, then again, he seems to say that about each new soup he likes). More surprising was that Fox (my super picky kid) had some, and really liked it! Jayson seemed to like it quite a bit, but said the hot sausage was a little much for him, so he might have preferred the mild. Lisa enjoyed it and said she couldn't think of much that would have made it better. Andrew, continuing his love of all my Italian sausage soup choices, gave his mark of assent as well.
Verdict: Loved it! (5 stars)
