Potato, Kale and Sausage Stew

When one eats seasonally in the Northeast, then late February means lots of root vegetables and local meat. This dish is a great way to take advantage of both. I made this soup for lunch today with Sara, my downstairs friend who was also trapped inside during our storm du jour. I served it with toasted sourdough bread with Parmesan cheese and it warmed us up from the inside out and made this last dump of snow just a little easier to cope with.

Potato, Kale and Sausage Stew
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds potatoes, peeled, halved and sliced thin
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 spicy Italian sausage, chopped into small pieces
2 cups chopped and destemmed kale
2 bay leaves
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
sea salt
fresh white pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a soup pot. Saute onions and garlic until transluscent.
2. Add broth, thyme, bay leaves, and potatoes and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering while you do the following steps.
3. In a skillet, heat the tablespoon of oil and brown the sausage. Spoon it into the simmering soup.
4. Add chopped kale to the same skillet and saute until wilted. Add to the soup.
5. Continue simmering until the potatoes break apart and make the soup creamy, about 30 minutes.
6. Remove the stems of thyme and the bay leaves and stir in the vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.