Potato Soup with Mustard Greens

from modernlovage.substack.com

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
• 2 onions, finely diced
• 3 small bay leaves
• 2 pounds potatoes, peeled
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 bunch mustard greens
• 2-3 pinches red pepper flakes
• Parmesan

Directions:

1. Heat the oil or butter in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Add the onions and bay leaves and cook slowly. Meanwhile, quarter each potato lengthwise, then thinly slice. Irregular pieces are fine – the smaller ones will fall apart, giving body to the soup.
3. Add the potatoes, raise the heat, and sauté, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to color and a glaze builds up on the bottom of the pan, about 10 minutes. At 1 ½ teaspoons salt and 1 cup water.  Scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen the solids. Add 2 quarts water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, clean the mustard greens and remove the leaves from the stems. Boil the leaves until tender and bright green, about 5 minutes. Drain the greens and coarsely chop.
5. When the potatoes are soft, remove the bay leaves, add more salt if desired, season with pepper, and stir in the parsley. Stir in the chopped mustard greens and 2 to 3 pinches of red pepper flakes.
6. Grate fresh parmesan on top of each bowl.
7. Serve & enjoy!