Sunday Soup #45: One-Pot Creamy Sausage and Potato Soup

Another week, another seven days stuffed full of kids activities, work, booster club meetings, etc.... So, I was looking for a quick recipe this past week. It was helped by the fact that my friend and frequent kitchen sidekick, Lisa, did a lot of the chopping, so this one was a piece of cake... But, did it deliver on taste?

This recipe came from: https://www.galonamission.com/one-pot-creamy-sausage-and-potato-soup/

*Pic 1 - https://www.galonamission.com/one-pot-creamy-sausage-and-potato-soup/

Variations from Recipe as Written: I double the recipe. I used one pound of hot Italian and one pound of mild Italian sausage (to reach the two pounds required by a double batch). And, we decided to make shredded cheese available as another garnish. But, other than that, I followed it closely.

General Thoughts: As I already said, this one was super easy to prepare. The prep was very minimal, the ingredient list was short, and the cooking was not overly burdensome (even less so if you were to just throw all the ingredients in a slow cooker, as the recipe suggests you could), so it fit the bill perfectly this weekend.

*Pics 2 & 3 - Pictures from when I made it

This soup had good texture: the right mix of firm and soft, thick and brothy, and a great combo of veggies, meat, and starch... In short, it was put together well.

However, the taste needs a bit more comment or, perhaps, explanation. It tasted fine... Let me just throw that out there. It was tasty enough that I looked forward to each next bite. But... It didn't have great depth of flavor. What do I mean? You know how sometimes when you take a bite of a soup and the flavors just "pop"? You can taste the subtle spices, the tanginess of the pickled vegetables, the smokiness of the meat, etc.... This soup was just kind of a single taste. The garlic, the oregano, and even the red pepper flakes were lost in the overwhelming sausage-ness of this soup. The cream seemed not to make much of a difference (maybe a little color?), which made me question why this was called a "Creamy" soup. And the potatoes and vegetables (as they sometimes do) just took on the overall character of the other dominant tastes; in this case, sausage.

Now, don't get me wrong... I love me some Italian sausage, as a quick review of this blog would show you. But, I like a little more out of my soups than just being able to taste a single overwhelming flavor. I want some complexity, some subtlety, something that rewards my tastebuds and keeps me coming back for the next bowlful. I think draining off some of the sausage fat would have helped with the mono-flavor problem, but still this isn't the type of soup that is going to surprise you. It is what it is: hearty, acceptably tasty, and solidly comfort food.

Potential Improvements? Next time, I'd add more heavy cream and maybe even give it a couple of spins with the immersion blender. I'd add some more pepper to give it a bit more bite. And, I'd likely drain off some of the sausage fat rather than leaving it all in or, at least, perhaps skim some of it off the top before adding the cream and serving. But, these are all just minor tweaks.

Polling the Fam: I felt like it was solid overall, had "good enough" flavor for what it was, and I think it would be a good choice for a quick, hearty dinner soup on a cold Fall day, so I'd make it again. Jayson thought it was good, gave it two thumbs up, and remarks that the cheese was a good garnish. Andrew thought it didn't stand out but was good overall, and he called it "solid." Hunter said it wasn't his favorite ever, but called it "solid, filling, and good." Fox said it was pretty good and seemed to be spiced properly, although he called the meat "interesting."

Verdict: It was okay. (3 stars)

Sunday Soup #44: 30-Minute Chicken Posole

This was a very busy week, just super hectic... Earlier in the weekend, I told my friends Debbie and Chris that I was going to make my family pork pozole recipe (comfort food!). Well... This one is not it! LOL  Instead, I let my son (Hunter) talk me into making a new recipe, although it was still a pozole (aka, posole). It is no secret that pozole is my favorite soup, I don't typically like chicken pozoles, and I am most definitely a pozole snob, so how did this one work out? Let's see...

This recipe came from: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-30-minute-chicken-posole-weeknight-dinner-recipes-from-the-kitchn-58823

*Pic 1 - http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-30-minute-chicken-posole-weeknight-dinner-recipes-from-the-kitchn-58823

Variations from Recipe as Written: I made 1.5x the printed recipe. I also used my own pozole meat marinade (combining ½ TBSP garlic salt, 1 TBSP cumin, 7 TBSP water, 1 TBSP liquid smoke, and 1 TBSP lime juice), tossed the chicken breasts in it, and refrigerated for approximately 1 hour before cooking it up according to the recipe instructions. Other than that, I followed this one pretty closely.

General Thoughts: I firmly believe that the success or failure of any pozole can depend, in large part, on the garnishes you use to punch up each bowl. And, I certainly had plenty of tasty garnishes on hand (see pic below).  But, the base and the foundation (i.e., the protein, the hominy, and the broth) have to be super solid, else even the best garnishes won't be able to save it. That is why I am often not crazy about chicken pozoles, as they typically do not deliver the flavor punch you can get from a properly cooked pork shoulder.

(*A small aside about cooking the chicken... I am usually hell on chicken breasts. I overcook them, seemingly every time, leaving them tough and dry. So, I decided to view a link on the Kitchn site [where this pozole recipe resides], which promised perfectly cooked chicken breasts every time: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-moist-tender-chicken-breasts-every-time-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-36891. I have to tell you, as a guy who is normally chicken-impaired, I was VERY happy with the results; tender, juicy, and tasty! If you often struggle with chicken breasts, give it a try...)

*Pics 2, 3, & 4 - Pictures from when I made it

Surprisingly, this one actually did a pretty good job... It turned out to be hearty (albeit, not quite as hearty as a hefty pork version) and filling, had some decent flavor (helped by the garnishes), and had a great texture profile in each bite. The cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika all came through, but were not overly strong; just enough to give me that "yum, pozole!" feeling. This soup imparted a distinct Mexican flavor and was far superior to any chicken tortilla soup I've ever made at home.

And, the garnishes... oh, the garnishes! SO good... Try some of the garnishes you see in my pic above, try some of the ones listed in the recipe, or choose your own. Get creative! You'll be happier for it...

Finally, this soup was very tasty right off the stove, but it was even better as leftovers the next day. I don't know if it was that the flavors blended better, if the chicken was more tender, or if the hominy was softer, but whatever the combo was, it was a hit.

Potential Improvements? I am not sure much more could have been done to this one, as it stands... Next time, I'd likely kick it up a bit with some additional crushed red pepper or cayenne, and Becky suggested that shredding the chicken could be an improvement, but it was pretty solid as-is.

Polling the Fam: Nothing beats the slow-cooked flavor of my traditional pork pozole recipe, and this one didn't quite measure up to the Crock Pot Pork Pozole that I tried earlier in this project (Sunday Soup #10; http://soupersleuth.blogspot.com/2016/05/sunday-soup-10-crock-pot-pork-pozole.html), but that is far from grounds to tell you to avoid it. If I was looking for a quick(-ish) pozole fix, and I was trying to stay a little healthier than pork, I would definitely give this one a go again! Becky liked it (she went for seconds), as did Hunter, but both agreed that it could have been a bit more flavorful on its own (the garnishes notwithstanding). And, like me, Hunter loved the leftovers, saying he thought the flavors melded much better overnight.

Verdict: Liked it. (4 stars)