Broth: I always use 6 cups water + 2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon chicken flavor base. It’s amazing. Highly recommend. If you’re not using this, you’ll probably need to add a bit more salt.

Pork Fat: This soup will have small beads of the pork fat distributed throughout the soup and/or pearling on top of the soup. That’s a good thing – it is a sign of both amazing flavor and a luscious mouthfeel. These will incorporate as it gently bubbles, and they will rise to the surface as it cools. To re-incorporate, just heat it back up again and give it a stir. 

Bacon: Hot take, but I don’t think it’s necessary which is why I didn’t include it. You get so much flavor already from the pork sausage. I have never eaten this and wished it had bacon in it.

Potato Peels vs. No Peels: If you want to save a bit of time, use baby potatoes and just cut them into quarters – you don’t have to peel them! It has a slightly different, more earthy taste (as potato peels do), but can confirm, it’s still delicious. 

White Wine: For weeks now, I’ve considered adding white wine to this recipe to deglaze the pan after the sausage, onion, and garlic; in my mind, it would add a nice layer of acidity to a very savory, rich broth. However, I have made this so many times and never had white wine in the house on any of the times, and I have loved every batch so much exactly as it is. Let me know if you try it with white wine in there!