Grandmama's Polish Potato Soup

So, Thanksgiving Day is nearly here. Pretty soon everyone will have had their fill of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce.

My Granddaddy Pierce had a recipe of sorts for what to do with your leftovers. I would bet that Daddy, Grandmama and Ron had to eat Turkey Hash from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas. It was a mixture of leftovers: turkey, dressing, vegetables (mostly peas), and a lot of chicken broth and hot sauce. It was soupy and I didn't like it' mostly because of the canned peas. He was always so proud of it. I ate it without complaint, but I never had seconds.

Grandmama's Polish Potato Soup, on the other hand, was an event, not just a dish. We all looked forward to it so much and she would serve it in china bowls which were actually called soup plates. She got this recipe from a friend she met in Buffalo, New York. I made it recently for my book club for our discussion of Steinbeck's The Winter of Our Discontent. It was set in early 60's New York, so I thought it would have been a dish that Ethan would have had. It will be a good dish to serve once you're tired of holiday food.

Grandmama peeled and mashed her own potatoes, I used 3 24 oz packages of Simply Potatoes - which are already mashed. I also put the mixture through the food processor for extra silkiness, I also added a cup of cottage cheese and a cup of milk - so you can play with it and make it your own and take short cuts, but here is Grandmama's recipe:
6 large potatoes
32 oz. of chicken broth
1 package Kielbasa Sausage
One large onion
Three tablespoons of flour
Parsley and dill weed to taste
Three tablespoons Canola Oil

Boil potatoes in 2 quarts of water until tender
Drain potatoes into another pot and reserve
Mash potatoes with butter or margarine and salt, set aside
Chop onion, sausage, dill, and parsley
Heat oil in frying pan and sautee onion, sausage, dill and parsley
Stir in flour and add two cups of reserve water

Put mashed potatoes back on the stove
Add broth and simmer
put mixture through food processor for a smoother texture. 

Combine all ingredients; simmer for about thirty minutes to allow flavors to blend.