Hungarian Potato and Sausage Soup
There’s nothing better than a hearty soup to chase away the chill of a cool autumn day. This soup is the perfect fall comfort food. The savory flavor from smoked sausage and the earthy sweetness from onions and cabbage are balanced perfectly with a splash of vinegar and a bit of sour cream, all brought together by soft and tender potatoes--the only way this gets better is serving it with a nice hunk of buttered, crusty bread.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ounces smoked Hungarian sausage, sliced into rounds
1 yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
5 cups chicken broth, or more to taste
2 cups chopped green cabbage
1 ½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
½ cup sour cream, or to taste
2 tablespoons sliced green onion, or to taste (Optional)
Directions
Step 1
Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add sausage and cook and stir until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove sausage to a bowl, leaving behind any butter in the pot.
Step 2
Toss onion into the pot with 1 teaspoon salt. Cook and stir until onion just starts to turn translucent and picks up a brown color from the meat juices in the pan, 4 to 5 minutes. Add flour; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and paprika; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute, being careful not to burn the paprika.
Step 3
Stir in 5 cups chicken broth. Increase heat to high and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally so flour does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Stir in cabbage and cook until it just loses its stiffness, about 2 minutes. Stir in potatoes and bring back to a simmer. Add black pepper, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf, plus a splash of chicken broth if desired. Bring back to a simmer.
Step 4
Stir soup and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are very soft and tender, about 30 minutes. Add sausage and vinegar and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust for salt.
Step 5
Remove from heat and ladle into bowls. Garnish with sour cream, green onions, and cayenne pepper.