Fall is back, so what'll it be?

With the fall harvest come thoughts of cinnamon apple pies baking in quaint kitchens, steaming pumpkin lattes, and bonfires sending sparks into the early night skies. There is not a more romantic time of year; the leaves are changing, the chill isn't just a dream, and we can finally pull that pile of knitted sweaters back out. Heaps of blankets have migrated from the depths of the cupboard, firewood has crept its way back inside, and football fills our nights again. Most Americans can agree, there is no better time than fall. So, since fall is back, what'll it be in the kitchen to beckon our beloved season back into our hearts?


Today I'm starting with what I have, a left over veggie tray, an onion, frozen sage sausage, and four red skin potatoes to make a simple but rustic pot of soup. It's raining so soup will really hit the spot for dinner tonight.

Country Sausage & Potato Soup

I started with a mirepoix: I used a whole white onion (which was 1/2 the mirepoix), the baby carrots, and the celery (carrots, and celery 1/4 of the mirepoix each). I sauteed that down with a couple of tablespoons of butter. After 15 minutes I added in 12 cups of water with 5 teaspoons of chicken bouillon. Boil this down for about 20 minutes, then add in potato chunks. Brown sausage in saute pan, then scope meat out of grease, and add to the soup. I'm leaving the soup on the stove on low for about 3 hours but it's not necessary. Add cream, salt, pepper, and parm to taste at the end.

1 cup white onion
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 chopped celery
4 tbsp butter (2 for mirepoix and 2 to finish)
12 cups water + 5 teaspoons bouillon

1 package sage sausage
4 red skin potatoes
1 cup of 1/2 & 1/2
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
salt and finely grated pepper to taste

Serve with crusty bread!