Hearty potato soup from the Ruhr area

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 2 pig tails (alternatively 1 pork knuckle or 500 g belly meat)
• 150 g smoked bacon
• 3 Mettwurst sausages (alternatively Kabanossi or Krakauer)
• 1 kg potatoes, floury
• 500 g potatoes, waxy
• ¼ celeriac
• 1 stalk(s) leek
• 3 carrots
• 2 parsnips
• 1 onion(s)
• 1 tbsp marjoram
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 allspice berries
• 4 juniper berries
• 5 peppercorns
• 10 coriander seeds
• 2 cloves
• 3 tsp salt
• Pepper from the mill
• 2 ½ liters of water

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes

Simmer the meat with the spices (best in a tea infuser or tea bag) and the roughly chopped celery in about 2-2.5 liters of water for 1.5 hours. In the meantime, clean the vegetables and cut them into small cubes or slices. Remove the meat and spices, including the celery, and pour the broth over the meat. Add the clarified butter to the pot and lightly fry the bacon, sausages, onions, and vegetables. Deglaze with the broth and add the diced potatoes. Bring everything to a boil briefly, then simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. After 10 minutes, add the marjoram, stirring in the sour cream towards the end. Season to taste and serve hot. Either nibble on the meat or add it back to the soup in small pieces. Do the same with the celery.