Yield: 5 quarts
2½ pounds full horseshoe link of high-quality smoked kielbasa
5 fresh bay leaves
3 pounds leeks (6 long, lively leeks)
3 pounds russet potatoes
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 large yellow onion, small-diced (about 2 cups)
6 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal
1 (4-ounce) hunk of dense, very sour sourdough bread, crusts removed
1 full tablespoon finely ground black pepper
½ cup crème fraîche
bunch fresh dill, woody stems removed, fronds minced
Step 1
Cut kielbasa into 4 equal lengths, and cover in a pot with 3 quarts cold water and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then let gently boil for 25 minutes more until swollen and cooked through and beads of oil have formed. Pull sausages from the now smoky and seasoned water, and set aside. Save that water!
Step 2
While the kielbasa simmers, split leeks in half lengthwise, then soak and rinse in cold water to thoroughly remove all sand. Slice Leeks into ⅜-inch half-moons from whites to dark greens, as far as is viable.
Step 3
Peel potatoes, trim all four sides to stabilize on the cutting board and trim both ends to “box” the potato. Save the scraps. Cut the boxes into large cubes, about ¾-inch square.
Step 4
In a sturdy soup pot, melt 1 stick butter over low heat until foaming. Stir in onion, garlic and a healthy pinch of salt, and let them sweat for a full 5 minutes until translucent.
Step 5
Stir in remaining butter, the sliced leeks and another generous pinch of salt, then let sweat slowly over low heat for 8 minutes until moist, bright green and glossy.
Step 6
Add potato scraps, the cube of bread and half the kielbasa boiling liquid. Let gently simmer 10 minutes while the potato scrap softens and the bread hunk becomes flabby and swollen. If you need to increase the heat to get a little simmer going, do so.
Step 7
Meanwhile, slice kielbasa in half lengthwise. Place two pieces back into the soup pot as is, and then slice the remaining 6 pieces into very thin, ⅛-inch half-moons, and set aside.
Step 8
Retrieve the soggy lump of sourdough bread with a slotted spoon,and don’t worry if you also get a few bits of leek or onion or whatever is floating in the soup when you pull it out. Also remove about 1 cup of liquid, and set aside.
Step 9
Add potato cubes and the rest of the kielbasa liquid to the pot.Add another pinch of salt and half the black pepper. Let it come back to temperature, and then to simmer until potatoes are cooked through, about 25 minutes more.
Step 10
Using either a stick blender or a traditional blender, purée the sodden hunk of bread until foamy, using some of the liquid you pulled in Step 8, if needed. Stir this back into the soup pot once the potatoes are cooked through, and add the sliced kielbasa as well.
Step 11
Whisk the crème fraîche with ½ cup of the hot reserved liquid;stir mixture into the soup. Stir in the chopped dill and theremaining ½ tablespoon pepper. Serve very hot.
Marilyn's Note:
So that's the recipe as is, I'm assuming for people who will be inviting the entire 6th floor of their apartment building to dine with them.
Here's what I used to make ~2 quarts
One horseshoe of Eckrich's Skinless Polish Kielbasa (14 oz)
1 lb of organic russet potatoes (about 3 fist-size potatoes)
2 leeks
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 quart of water
1 dried bay leaf
Lots of kosher salt and lots of black pepper.
I followed the recipe, but cut my potatoes into 1/2" cubes and used a sourdough bread sold at Publix. It dissolved under its own volition. I didn't bother with the sour cream or the creme fraiche.
I liked it so much I went to Whole Foods today to buy better kielbasa and found one with skin at twice the price for 14 oz.
Honestly, it's not as flavorful. But now I have 4 containers to take home for Mom in November when it will be chilly.
PS: Having a Ukrainian and also a Serbian grandmother, I always thought borscht meant BEET, because that's what both of them used. But it turns out it simply means "sour soup." This explains why sourdough bread is added to the broth.
2½ pounds full horseshoe link of high-quality smoked kielbasa
5 fresh bay leaves
3 pounds leeks (6 long, lively leeks)
3 pounds russet potatoes
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 large yellow onion, small-diced (about 2 cups)
6 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal
1 (4-ounce) hunk of dense, very sour sourdough bread, crusts removed
1 full tablespoon finely ground black pepper
½ cup crème fraîche
bunch fresh dill, woody stems removed, fronds minced
Step 1
Cut kielbasa into 4 equal lengths, and cover in a pot with 3 quarts cold water and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then let gently boil for 25 minutes more until swollen and cooked through and beads of oil have formed. Pull sausages from the now smoky and seasoned water, and set aside. Save that water!
Step 2
While the kielbasa simmers, split leeks in half lengthwise, then soak and rinse in cold water to thoroughly remove all sand. Slice Leeks into ⅜-inch half-moons from whites to dark greens, as far as is viable.
Step 3
Peel potatoes, trim all four sides to stabilize on the cutting board and trim both ends to “box” the potato. Save the scraps. Cut the boxes into large cubes, about ¾-inch square.
Step 4
In a sturdy soup pot, melt 1 stick butter over low heat until foaming. Stir in onion, garlic and a healthy pinch of salt, and let them sweat for a full 5 minutes until translucent.
Step 5
Stir in remaining butter, the sliced leeks and another generous pinch of salt, then let sweat slowly over low heat for 8 minutes until moist, bright green and glossy.
Step 6
Add potato scraps, the cube of bread and half the kielbasa boiling liquid. Let gently simmer 10 minutes while the potato scrap softens and the bread hunk becomes flabby and swollen. If you need to increase the heat to get a little simmer going, do so.
Step 7
Meanwhile, slice kielbasa in half lengthwise. Place two pieces back into the soup pot as is, and then slice the remaining 6 pieces into very thin, ⅛-inch half-moons, and set aside.
Step 8
Retrieve the soggy lump of sourdough bread with a slotted spoon,and don’t worry if you also get a few bits of leek or onion or whatever is floating in the soup when you pull it out. Also remove about 1 cup of liquid, and set aside.
Step 9
Add potato cubes and the rest of the kielbasa liquid to the pot.Add another pinch of salt and half the black pepper. Let it come back to temperature, and then to simmer until potatoes are cooked through, about 25 minutes more.
Step 10
Using either a stick blender or a traditional blender, purée the sodden hunk of bread until foamy, using some of the liquid you pulled in Step 8, if needed. Stir this back into the soup pot once the potatoes are cooked through, and add the sliced kielbasa as well.
Step 11
Whisk the crème fraîche with ½ cup of the hot reserved liquid;stir mixture into the soup. Stir in the chopped dill and theremaining ½ tablespoon pepper. Serve very hot.
Marilyn's Note:
So that's the recipe as is, I'm assuming for people who will be inviting the entire 6th floor of their apartment building to dine with them.
Here's what I used to make ~2 quarts
One horseshoe of Eckrich's Skinless Polish Kielbasa (14 oz)
1 lb of organic russet potatoes (about 3 fist-size potatoes)
2 leeks
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 quart of water
1 dried bay leaf
Lots of kosher salt and lots of black pepper.
I followed the recipe, but cut my potatoes into 1/2" cubes and used a sourdough bread sold at Publix. It dissolved under its own volition. I didn't bother with the sour cream or the creme fraiche.
I liked it so much I went to Whole Foods today to buy better kielbasa and found one with skin at twice the price for 14 oz.
Honestly, it's not as flavorful. But now I have 4 containers to take home for Mom in November when it will be chilly.
PS: Having a Ukrainian and also a Serbian grandmother, I always thought borscht meant BEET, because that's what both of them used. But it turns out it simply means "sour soup." This explains why sourdough bread is added to the broth.
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