Bratwurst, Potato and Cabbage Soup

Today was the first day of real snow in our part of Ohio. We've had a few days of flurries, but today it really came down outside. It started snowing midmorning, and as I type this at about 9:00 PM the snow is still falling.

It seemed like the perfect day to lounge around and cuddle, and after a few errands this morning, that's exacty what my son and I did for the rest of the day. We took a nap, we played, we napped some more, and we cooked a big pot of hearty soup to combat the chilly weather.

I had this soup on our menu last week and just didn't get around to making it then, but I'm glad I decided to fix it today. It was delicious and exactly what I was craving on a winter day like this one. It reminds me a lot of a cabbage and potato cream soup that my mom used to make, but I really liked the addition of bratwurst (casings removed, so it's really just like sausage).

I made a few changes to the recipe, which are reflected below in purple. To me, soup just isn't soup without some kind of stock and a couple of bay leaves, and I think without those additions (plus salt and lots of pepper) this would have been way too bland. I couldn't have made it without Andrew's help, of course:

Joe and I both really enjoyed this soup. It's a delicious winter soup, and absolutely perfect with buttered bread for dipping! As much as I'd like to keep the leftovers for myself, I'm taking them to my dad tomorrow. He's a huge cabbage fan and I think he'll really like this!

Bratwurst, Potato and Cabbage Soup
Source: Allrecipes

16 ounces bratwurst, casings removed
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed (I used golden potatoes, so I left the skin on for texture)
1 onion, chopped
2 cups water (reduced to 1 cup)
2 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
1 medium head cabbage, chopped
3 cups milk, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces Swiss cheese, diced (I used shredded mozzarella because I didn't have Swiss, and it tasted fine)

1. In a large pot over medium high heat, saute the sausage for 10 minutes, or until browned and crumbled. Drain well and discard the fat.

2. In the same pot, saute onions and potatoes for a few minutes in the bratwurst drippings. Add sausage, water, chicken stock and bay leaves to pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the cabbage, return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for another 20 minutes.

3. Add 2 1/2 cups of the milk and heat slowly to just under a boil.

4. In a separate small bowl, mix the flour with the remaining milk, and add to the pot slowly, stirring constantly, so that the flour does not clump. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. When the mixture in the pot thickens, add the cheese and stir off and on until the cheese has melted.