Slow Cooker Potato and Sausage

I just love this and had to share
I'm learning to make today my favorite day

Yesterday I was in the mood for cooking something warm and hearty.  I had some time in the morning and decided to get something started in the crock pot that would slowly simmer and cook and be ready for dinner when Steve got home from work.  We hadn't had anything with potatoes for a very long time, and I had just picked up a bag of organic red potatoes at the store, so I decided to search for a potato slow cooker recipe.  We also had some natural pork sausage, and so this recipe seemed to fit the bill.  Of course, I didn't have any cream of potato soup or evaporated milk, so I had to improvise a bit.  My nephew Noah was here spending the day with us, and he helped me with some of the preparation, and played out in the back yard the rest of the time.  Riggs hung out on the kitchen floor, and then I put him down for a nap about half way through the process.

Here is the recipe and some pictures, hope you have a chance to make this at some point, it is delicious, healthy, and hearty!

Slow Cooker Potato and Sausage*

*this actually includes recipes, because believe me, the cream of potato soup was good enough to have on its own!

Cream of Potato Soup:

4 organic red potatoes, cubed (the recipe called for them to be peeled as well, but I didn't follow the instructions.  I love the peels!)
1/2 cup chopped organic celery
1/2 cup chopped organic carrots

pepper to taste

1 TBS unsalted organic butter

1 TBS unbleached flour

1 cup milk (I used 1% organic)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or other cheese of your choice)

1.  Heat the vegetables and pepper in about 1.5 cups of water (recipe called for chicken broth, but boiling the celery and carrots with the potatoes makes a vegetable broth out of the water, and I didn't want to have the chicken taste), bringing to a boil.  Boil for about 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.  Separate the vegetables from the broth and add to food processor.

2.  Add about 3/4 to 1 cup of the broth to the veggies and process until smooth.  Add back into remaining broth and set aside (I stole some of this slightly lumpy mixture and put it in a baby food jar for Riggs in the fridge - if you have a baby you could do the same, it makes a perfect dinner or lunch food for them). 

3.  Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add more pepper and salt to taste, and then sprinkle flour over melted butter, stirring continuously.

4.  Pour in the milk and continue stirring until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the pureed veggie mixture and stir well, adding shredded cheese.

You can eat this delicious soup on its own with a nice crusty bread, but if you want to make the slow cooker potatoes and sausage, continue on...

Slow Cooker Potato and Sausage:

3 lbs organic red potatoes, washed and sliced (again, peeled or left whole, it's up to you)
Sausage - I used about a 1/4 of a pound natural pork sausage (no nitrates, nitrites or any other artificial ingredients).  You could use anything, from chicken apple sausage to bratwurst or whatever else sounds good to you, but I personally like the spicy flavor of the pork sausage.
1 large onion halved and sliced - I didn't have an onion so I left this out
Cream of Potato Soup from above, or two 10 oz cans of pre made cream of potato soup.
3/4 cup of milk (I used 1% organic)

1.  Toss the sliced potatoes and onions (if included) in the crockpot.

2.  Pour cream of Potato Soup and milk over the potatoes and sausage mixture and stir.

3.  Finish cooking sausage (if applicable) and then add to crockpot mixture.

3.  Cover and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours.
4.  Serve with homemade biscuits and enjoy!

I wish I had a better picture of the final product...I didn't remember to take a picture until I was serving seconds to Steve