potato soup

John and I have started to have an over abundance of root vegetables in our refrigerator due to how many we get in our share each week. I am already planning on making another soup (how else will I use celeriac??), and maybe doing a bunch of roasted veggies this weekend.
I made a potato soup this past weekend that was hearty and delicious, although not terribly healthy... But, you can omit the meat to make it vegetarian and it will still taste great!

Here it is:

Potato Cheese Soup:
-1 lb. sausage thinly sliced (Note: John and I did not like the sausage in it and would have preferred it with a little bacon on top as garnish instead, however, it's your choice! ;) ).
-4 lbs peeled and diced russet potatoes
-2 med. onions chopped
-4 cloves garlic
-24oz cheese (I used cheddar)
-1 stick butter (I used half!!!!)
-1 tbs fresh rosemary, chopped (I used thyme instead)
-16-32 oz milk
-salt and pepper to taste


-In a 6-8-quart pan, melt butter on ML with onions. After onions are translucent, add garlic and rosemary for 2 minutes.
Add sausage and cook another 2-3 minutes.
-Add potatoes and add water until the potatoes are just covered. Change heat to high and bring to a boil until potatoes are tender and falling apart.
-Once potatoes are done, reduce heat to low and add cheese a little at a time until it all melts. Add milk, salt and pepper, and cover for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!