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White Borscht

This white borscht, a nod to the tradition of sour soups in Ukrainian cooking, is simply a perfect meal: rich and satisfying, yet bright and delicate and clean all at once.
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Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½-pounds full horseshoe link of high-quality smoked kielbasa
  • 5 bay leaves
  • 3-pounds leeks
  • 3-pounds russet potatoes
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 2 cups yellow onion, small-diced
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced 
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • 1 4-ounce hunk of dense, very sour sourdough bread, crusts removed
  • 1 full tbsp. finely ground black pepper
  • ½ cup crème fraiche
  • 1 bunch fresh dill, woody stems removed, fronds minced

Instructions
 

  • Cut kielbasa into 4 equal lengths; place in a pot with 3 quarts cold water, plus the bay leaves; cover and bring to a boil; allow to gently boil for 25 minutes more until swollen and cooked through and beads of oil have formed.
  • Pull sausages from the now smoky and seasoned water; set aside; save the water.
  • While the kielbasa simmers, split leeks in half lengthwise; soak and rinse in cold water to thoroughly remove all sand; slice leeks into 3/8-inch half-moons from whites to dark greens, as far up as is viable.
  • Peel potatoes, trim all four sides to stabilize on the cutting board and trim both ends to shape the potato like a “box”; save the scraps.
  • Cut the boxes into large cubes, about 3/4-inch square.
  • In a sturdy soup pot, melt 1 stick butter, over low heat, until foaming.
  • Stir in onion, garlic and a healthy pinch of salt; let them sweat for a full 5 minutes until translucent.
  • Stir in remaining butter, the sliced leeks and another generous pinch of salt; let sweat slowly over low heat for 8 minutes until moist, bright green and glossy.
  • Add potato scraps, the cube of bread and half the kielbasa boiling liquid.
  • Gently simmer 10 minutes while the potato scraps soften and the bread hunk becomes flabby and swollen; if you need to increase the heat to get a little simmer going, do so.
  • Meanwhile, slice kielbasa in half lengthwise; place two pieces back into the soup pot as is, and then slice the remaining 6 pieces into very thin, 1/8-inch half-moons; set aside.
  • Retrieve the soggy lump of sourdough bread, with a slotted spoon, and don’t worry if you also get a few bits of leek or onion or whatever is floating in the soup when you pull it out.
  • Also, remove about 1 cup of liquid; set aside.
  • Add potato cubes and the rest of the kielbasa liquid to the pot.
  • Add another pinch of salt and half the black pepper.
  • Let it come back to temperature; simmer until potatoes are cooked through; about 25 minutes more.
  • Using either a stick blender or a traditional blender, purée the sodden hunk of bread until foamy, using some of the liquid you pulled earlier, if needed.
  • Stir this back into the soup pot once the potatoes are cooked through; add the sliced kielbasa as well.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the crème fraiche with 1/2 cup of the hot reserved liquid; stir mixture into the soup.
  • Stir in the chopped dill and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon pepper; serve very hot.