Creamy Sausage Soup

My good friend Karen gave me this recipe and said it would be perfect for a hearty meal at The Farm. She was so right!

Below is the recipe as Karen gave it to me, but being the non-measuring, use what I have on hand, dump it in and stir kind of cook that I am, a few modifications ended up in my pot.

I used link sweet Italian sausage cut in bite size pieces, cheddar instead of American cheese, diced the carrots instead of shredding and added a few dashes of cayenne to get a nice amount of heat. I also just dolloped the sour cream into each bowl instead of blending it in the pot, just because I thought it would look pretty.

1 pkg. hot italian sausage (most are a pound)
1/2 lb. ground beef
3/4 c. diced onion
3/4 c. shredded carrots
3/4 c. diced celery
3 c. chicken broth
4 c. diced potatoes
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
8 oz. American cheese, cubed
1 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream (or half and half)
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried
1 tbsp. fresh parsley or 1 tsp. dried
4 tbsp. butter, divided
1/4 c. sour cream

In a 3 quart cast iron pot, brown the ground beef and sausage; drain set aside.  In the same saucepan, saute onion, carrots and celery in 1 tbsp of butter until vegetable are tender, about 10 minutes.  Add broth, potatoes and meat; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Meanwhile in a small skillet, melt remaining butter.  Add flour; cook and stir 3-5 minutes or until bubbly.  Add to soup; bring to a boil.  If soup is not thick enough, make a slurry of cold water and flour; shake well so there are no lumps.  Add to soup and boil gently.  Cook and stir 2 minutes, then remove from heat.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  Add cheese, heavy whipping cream (or half and half), salt, pepper and herbs; stir until cheese melts.  Take sour cream and blend in a bowl so it is not so thick; blend sour cream into soup.

A nice hunk of  BEER BREAD with an assortment of local honey, butter and jams completed the meal.