Cheesy Sausage Potato Soup

Mom and I used to go to a restaurant in Harrison called RockHouse Barbeque. It held special memories for Mom since she once lived there. After she graduated, her first "apartment" was in Mrs. Cochran's house there on Pine Street. Her son was in the Army and she was like many widows, strapped as to how she would pay her bills in wartime. The answer came in renting her spare bedrooms. Mom would walk to her job across the street at Oberman's and was even able to come "home" for lunch.

Years later the house was sold and eventually became a restaurant. The house looked the same from the outside, but when we went in the layout was different. They had taken down walls to allow for a entry on the side, the living room and adjoining dining, sunporch and kitchen all opened up into a large dining room. But the walls that remained entered into bedrooms that had been turned into dining, the one on the North end of the house had been Mom's room. She loved to go there. We'd enjoy a quiet lunch ordering soup or their specialty barbeque. Their potato soup was my favorite thing to order. Very different from the simple one I make, theirs had sausage and cheese that made it heartier. One day I just asked how they made it, and lo and behold they told me! Not the exact measurements but the ingredients. That's all I needed to make this wonderful soup!

RockHouse Barbeque Cheesy Potato Soup makes a generous 8 servings
8 cups potatoes, cut in chunks
6 ounces Velveeta cheese
1 1/4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
1/3 cup butter
2 tablespoons oil
1 lb. Jimmy Dean Breakfast sausage
1/3 cup flour
3 1/2 cups milk or half&half
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Peel and cube the potatoes, cook them in salted water. When cooked, drain the water and set the cooked potatoes aside.

To prepare the cheese mixture: over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the 1/3 cup butter with 2 tablespoons oil.

Whisk in 1/3 cup flour...

... and mix for 1 minute.

Slowly add in 1 cup half and half or milk, whisking until well blended.

Add in the Velveeta cheese and grated cheddar cheese.

Now slowly add in the remaining 2-1/2 cups milk or halfand half (if using).

Cook and stir for about 30 seconds; set aside.

In a hot skillet, brown the sausage...

...then add the onion.

Saute until the onion is tender.

Add in the sausage onion mixture along with the salt, pepper, parsley and garlic powder into the cheese milk mixture, and continue cooking until all of the cheese is completely melted.

Add in the cooked cubed potatoes to the cheese mixture; gently mix to combine.
Cook over low heat until warm and bubbly! This is where it gets personal...smooth or chunky, your choice!

Ladle into bowls and enjoy!

Invite some birds to join you...on the other side of the window! Brrr!