Oh my, we are getting down to the last two states! Idaho and Washington. Idaho happened to coincide with a snow day from school—freezing rain and hail pelted us all day making it a perfect day for Idaho potato and sausage soup in the slow cooker. (And what else would you make for Idaho but potatoes?)
I LOVE Anything That Can Get Tossed in the Slow Cooker
It’s so much simpler, don’t you think? And much less chance of me screwing it up. If you don’t have a slow cooker or crock pot, you seriously need to get one. Here’s ours: I have tried a few different slow cookers and this has been my absolute favorite. Some of the slow cookers cook too fast—in my experience. This one is perfect. You can set it for 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 hours on high or low. Once it reaches the time limit, it will keep it on warm, so you don’t have to worry about your meal getting cold if you can’t get to it in time.
And You Can Combine Soooooo Many Ingredients in the Slow Cooker
This potato and sausage soup recipe had A LOT of ingredients: 
But you can’t beat just tossing those ingredients in the slow cooker without having to pan sear them or braise them or whatever. I do have one complaint. The original recipe for this potato and sausage soup (which I tweaked for my family’s preferences) stated that prep time was 10 minutes. That was a total lie. Or maybe that was the prep time for a professional chef.
Just peeling and dicing the potatoes alone took me 15 minutes. I never know exactly how to dice an oval object. If anyone has some potato dicing trick to get perfect cube sized potatoes, PLEASE let me know.
And in addition to dicing potatoes, I had to chop the onions and the peppers, too. Thank Goodness for my Pampered Chef chopper—I never have to actually touch the dreaded onions. You don’t have one? This is another kitchen MUST HAVE—and this is coming from the ultimate anti-cook. 
The Rest of the Potato and Sausage Soup was EASY PEASY
Chopping the veggies was seriously the hardest part of this recipe. For me, at least. The chopped veggies line the bottom of the slow cooker, potatoes first. Then you add the onions, red peppers, and garlic. After that, cut the sausage into thin slices and layer on top. I used smoked sausage, but I would think you could use any sausage that you prefer. Once that’s done, you mix the heavy cream with the chicken stock and cornstarch. Then add all of the spices and whisk together. You then pour that over the mixture already in the slow cooker. Plug it in and let it cook for 6 hours on low or 4 hours on high. Once it has cooked, add the cheese to the top, stir in, and cook for another minute or two to melt the cheese. OMG…look how yummy! 
This Was a Perfect Night for Soup
I was so chilled to the bone the night we had this potato and sausage soup, despite being in the house all day. I just could not get warm, no matter what I did. It was just so RAW out. After copious cups of tea and standing in front of the heat vent for a good 15 minutes, this soup did the trick. It warmed me from the inside out. In fact, the whole family agreed this was the ideal hearty meal for such a cold winter night. We didn’t even need bread or anything on the side because it was so filling. And with all the spices in it, it wasn’t bland at all. It had just the right amount of kick. Try it yourself the next time the weather is raw and miserable—it’ll warm you right up. 
1 ring of sausage (I used spicy)
5 Idaho potatoes
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 c. heavy cream
2 c. chicken broth
2 TBSP cornstarch
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese