Potato Sausage Soup

This is my take on Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden.  I made it recently and it's darn tasty.  Note: unless you make your own sausage, you never really know if what you're getting is salty, spicy, etc.  So start with the sausage, and through the cooking process add crushed red peppers or salt to your taste.

Ingredients

1 lb of italian sausage  (hot or mild) out of the casing
1 large white onion, small dice
3 large russet potatoes
4 cloves minced garlic
2 qt. chicken stock
4 oz heavy cream
kale
crushed red pepper flakes

Non-standard supplies

Food processor

Instructions

1. Precook (at least mostly cook) sausage with 3/4 tsp of red peppers (if hot sausage) or 1-1/2 tsp (if mild)
2. Remove from pan and chop in food processor to create coarse but even crumbles
3. In same pot used for sausage, heat onion and garlic over medium heat until onions are soft
4. Meanwhile slice unpeeled potatoes -- first lengthwise then into 1/8" pieces
5. Once onions are soft add stock and sausage and simmer for 10 minutes to finish sausage
6. Add potatoes and simmer until  potatoes are soft  (15-20 mins)
7. Chop kale into bite-size pieces, removing the vein
8. Add cream and kale and allow to warm.
9. Top with fresh shredded cheese (parm, romano or asiago) if desired

Note, I like the band Kitchen Basics for stock from the grocery.  It's got a lot of flavor and is readily available.  I tried Rachael Ray's stock line, and found it to be watery and flavorless.