German Potato Soup (Kartoffelsuppe) #SoupSaturdaySwappers

Welcome to Soup Saturday Swappers for 2021; our event is led by Wendy of A Day in the Life on Farm! Are you interested in joining this great group of Soup Swappers? Request to join our Facebook group here. 

Wendy invited us to use potatoes, with the prompt: "February is national potato month and national sweet potato month. Let's celebrate by sharing a soup or stew that features potatoes."

See all of our soups utilizing the potato today: 

• Chicken Chili with Sweet Potatoes by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chunky Sweet Potato and Ham Soup by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Crockpot Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Curry Soup by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• German Potato Soup by Making Miracles
• Peas & Potatoes Stew by Sneha's Recipe
• Peruvian Potato Soup (Locro de Papas) by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Potato Cauliflower and Peas Soup by Magical Ingredients
• Spiced Sweet Potato-Red Lentil Stew by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Spicy Chorizo Vegetable Soup by Palatable Pastime

This is a wonderful soup! Packed full of tender vegetables, a lovely tomatoey broth, and I loved how the bacon infuses the broth with that fantastic flavor. 

This makes a perfect light meal; serve it up with some crusty bread to sop up the broth to make it a little more substantial, or some crackers if preferred. If you want to add protein, you could add just about anything to it and I think it would work well - from ground beef to shredded chicken. It's a delicious and flavorful soup! 

German Potato Soup (Kartoffelsuppe)

Ingredients
8 ounces bacon, diced
1 large onion, chopped
1 TBS minced garlic (jarred)
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced into bite sized pieces
1 large leek, sliced and thoroughly washed
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 (14-oz can) petite diced tomatoes
6 cups quality chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (more to taste)
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

1. In a large soup pot, sauté the bacon pieces until they are crispy and fat is rendered. Reserve 2 TBS of bacon grease in the pot, and discard or remove the rest and save for another use.
2. Sauté the onion in the grease for about 5-6 minutes, or until it begins to caramelize and become tender, then add the garlic and sauté another minute.
3. Add in all remaining ingredients, except the fresh parsley. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Taste, and adjust seasonings as desired (salt will depend on the broth used).
4. Discard bay leaf and serve with a sprinkling of fresh parsley, if desired.

Recipe adapted from Daring Gourmet