Kartoffelsuppe

Preamble
Potato Soup from Germany

Ingredients
1 1/2 lb Potatoes
3 oz Carrots
1 stick Celery
1 Leek
4 oz Onion
4 oz diced Smoked Bacon
2 1/2 pints Water
1 level teaspoon Salt
Freshly milled Black Pepper
1/2 level teaspoon dried Marjoram
1/2 level teaspoon dried Fines Herbes
1 sprig Parsley with stem
1 level teaspoon chopped Parsley
4 oz German Sausage chopped
Croutons

Method

Prepare the vegetables and cut neatly into dice or slice. In a saucepan, fry the bacon over a low heat to extract the fat. Add the vegetables and saute for 2-3 minutes.

Cover with water. Season with salt, pepper, marjoram and fines herbes. Bring to the boil, add the parsley sprig then simmer gently until all the vegetables are well cooked - about 45 minutes.

Using a sieve or electric blender, puree the soup. Add the chopped parsley and German sausage. Reheat in a clean pan to serving temperature. Garnish with croutons.

NB: Alternatively omit the chopped sausage and serve alongside German smoked sausages and mustard.