Bean soup with sausage and smoked meat: thickened with potatoes and beans, not roux

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Cover the beans with cold water and let soak overnight.

2. Cut up the sausage, onion, garlic, root vegetables, and potatoes.

3. Brown the sausage thoroughly in a pot, allowing its fat to render, then remove it. Sauté the onion in the rendered fat, add the garlic, and cook until golden. Remove the onion and garlic mixture and set aside.

4. Add the root vegetables to the pot and sauté. Reduce the heat, add both types of paprika and the tomato paste, and sauté briefly.

5. Add the drained beans, sausage, and smoked meat. Pour in enough broth to just cover the ingredients. Add the bay leaves, allspice berries, and black peppercorns, stir, and simmer until the beans are almost tender.

6. Add the potatoes, season with salt, and cook for another 20 minutes.

7. Remove the smoked meat and dice it.

8. Remove some potatoes from the soup and add them to the reserved onion and garlic. Add a ladleful of beans with some cooking liquid and the sour cream (or, even better, crème fraîche), and blend until smooth.

9. Stir the blended mixture into the soup, add the smoked meat, and season to taste with salt and vinegar. Serve sprinkled with chives or parsley.

Tip: If using a smoked pork hock, cook it for an hour before adding the beans. Read more: How to cook dried beans faster

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Zahustia ju rozmixované zemiaky a fazuľa, nie zápražka: hustá fazuľová polievka s klobásou a údeným mäsom