Hearty cucumber and potato soup with meatballs

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 900 g braised cucumber(s) or snake cucumbers
• 700 g potatoes
• 1 small onion(s)
• 500 g minced meat
• 100 g breakfast bacon
• 1,000 ml meat broth or vegetable broth
• 1 bunch of chives or parsley or both
• 300 g crème fraîche or cream
• 1 tsp, heaped nutmeg
• 1 tsp, heaped salt
• 1 tsp, heaped pepper
• Seasoned salt
• 1 piece(s) sugar cube
• 2 eggs
• 50 g breadcrumbs
• 50 g cream cheese spread
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp tomatoes, finely diced

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours

Fry the bacon and onions in a large pot with a little oil until crispy. Wash, peel, halve, and fairly thinly slice the cucumbers. Add them to the large pot with the fried onions and bacon and sauté for five minutes. Add the broth, a sugar cube, and salt, and simmer for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, peel and dice the potatoes. After the cucumbers have cooked for 30 minutes, add the diced potatoes and simmer for another 30 minutes. In the meantime, mix the minced meat with some of the chives, some parsley, the two eggs, the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, seasoning salt, and the cheese, and form into small balls with wet fingers. Then finely chop the remaining chives and/or parsley. After a total of one hour of cooking time, purée the cucumber and potato soup using an immersion blender. Add the meatballs to the soup, do not stir, and simmer gently for about 15-20 minutes. Finally, add the cream or crème fraîche and blend. Season with nutmeg and salt and pepper, if desired. Sprinkle with chives and/or parsley to serve.