Potato Chowder with Sausage (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Base

01 - Potatoes (3 medium-sized, peeled and cut into pieces)
02 - Sausages of your choice (400g or around 6 sausages)
03 - Olive oil (1 tablespoon)
04 - Wild rice (100g or roughly ½ cup)

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

05 - Carrots (2, sliced)
06 - Chopped onion (1)
07 - Bay leaves (2)
08 - Garlic cloves (2, minced)
09 - Thyme, dried (½ teaspoon)
10 - Celery stalks (2, cut thinly)

→ Liquid & Thickeners

11 - Light cream or half-and-half (375ml or 1½ cups)
12 - Chicken or veggie broth (1 litre or 4 cups)
13 - All-purpose/plain flour (3 tablespoons)
14 - Salt, adjust to taste

# Instructions:

01 - Warm up some oil in your soup pan. Take the sausage out of its casing, crumble it up, and fry until browned. Set it aside on a plate, keeping about 2 tablespoons of fat in the pot.
02 - On low heat, cook the celery, onion, and carrot for about 10 minutes. Toss in the garlic and thyme and cook for just 30 seconds longer.
03 - Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and mix to form a paste. Let it cook for 2 minutes, then add the sausage back into the pot.
04 - Stir in the broth a little at a time, then add the wild rice and bay leaves. Let it simmer for 30 minutes.
05 - Add your potato chunks and let everything cook another 15 minutes, or until the rice and potatoes are nice and soft.
06 - Pour in the cream, season with salt and pepper, and heat it all up again. Top it off with some fresh parsley before serving.

# Notes:

01 - For a smoky twist, swap out the sausages for bacon.
02 - Brown rice or barley makes a great stand-in for wild rice.
03 - Go gluten-free by using cornstarch instead of standard flour.
04 - Want to cook faster? Use sweet potatoes instead of regular ones.
05 - For a dairy-free option, pick a plant-based cream.