Easy Creamy Potato, Leek, and Sauerkraut Soup

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 link smoked kielbasa sausage, split in half lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 medium leeks, white and pale green parts only, split in half lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 5 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
• 8 ounces white or green cabbage, shredded
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pound sauerkraut with its liquid
• Chopped fresh dill and extra-virgin olive oil, for serving
• Fresh crusty bread, for serving

Directions

1. Warm the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat until it glints. Stir in the sausage now and then as it cooks, letting it brown deeply, about 5 minutes. Lift the sausage out with a slotted spoon and keep the fat in the pot; set the sausage aside.
2. Drop the butter and leeks into the sausage drippings. Add salt and pepper, then cook, stirring, until the leeks are tender but still not browned, about 3 minutes; lower the heat if they start moving too fast. Add the potatoes and chicken stock, scraping the pot’s sides and bottom to loosen all those browned bits. Stir in the cabbage and bay leaves. Turn the heat to high and bring everything to a boil. Lower the heat so the soup barely bubbles, and cook until the potatoes are fully soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the sauerkraut along with its liquid, and let the pot come back to a simmer. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Blend the soup in batches, beginning on the lowest speed and gradually raising it to the highest speed, until each batch is completely silky, about 2 minutes per batch. Pour the soup through a fine-mesh strainer positioned over a clean pot, pressing it through with the back of a ladle. Taste, then add salt and pepper as needed.
4. Top the soup with the browned sausage pieces, chopped dill, and olive oil. Serve right away with crusty bread.