Potato Leek Soup … with Sausage

2019 has definitely not been my year for regular blog posts. I've still been quite busy cooking and even finding some time for sewing projects. The majority of my writing, by necessity, has been scientific in nature. While I don't regret those efforts, I'm also feeling glad for a slight respite to share a blog post.
As those of you who read these posts probably know, fall is probably our favorite season and also one that finds us turning much of our garden produce into soup. This year has been no exception. This weekend found us pulling all of our leeks and converting them into not just one, but three different kinds of soup. I few years ago, I wrote about a good old stand-by potato leek soup. We jazzed it up with some bacon this year. After all, who doesn't like bacon?
This post will feature another variation on potato leek soup. This time, one with sausage and carrots. You can certain cut the recipe in half for a more manageable amount. We tend to approach soup-making with a "go big or go home" approach. This attitude does tend to keep our freezer full and help cut down on the mid-week cooking. 
Before I get into the recipe, here's my approach for cutting leeks. You will first notice that my garden leeks are a fair bit smaller than the ones you will find in the store. You can see the actual portion of the leek that I include after cutting off the roots and most of the green leaves. I then cut the remaining portion into about 1/2 to 1 inch segments. I then cut each segment lengthwise into fourths. Depending on how wide the white bulb is, I may cut it down a little more.

Here's the ingredients and steps for making this very warm and filling fall soup.

Ingredients

2 lbs Italian sausage; for this recipe, we prefer mild because the objective isn't to create a spicy soup but rather one that is full of flavor

2 tbsp olive oil

2 pounds of chopped leeks

4 medium carrots, or more depending on your preferences

4 minced garlic cloves

4-5 quarts chicken broth

2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes

2 bay leaves

3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Brown the sausage in the bottom of the pot you will be using to make the soup. After the sausage is browned, spoon it into a bowl for later, leaving the drippings behind in the pot.

2. Add the olive oil, leeks, and carrots to the pot and saute them until softened, about 5-7 minutes. As you can see from the pictures below, I ended up with about 6 cups of chopped leeks and 4+ cups of chopped carrots. The carrots were also from the garden, and I was glad for the chance to use some them up. After you saute the vegetables, stir in the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

3. Add the broth - start with about 3 quarts, potatoes, bay leaves, thyme, and some salt and pepper. Boil until the potatoes are fork tender and the carrots are cooked through - about 20 minutes. Here's the size I cut my potatoes. I wasn't going for larger stew-sized pieces but rather what would fit on a spoon.

4. Add any additional broth as desired. We did end up using 5 quarts total. Stir in the sausage and the cream. Heat until the soup comes to a slight simmer and then turn the heat off. 

5. Serve with some nice warm bread and enjoy.