Tuscan Soup

  Have you ever been to the Olive Garden Restaurant and had their Zuppa Toscana?. This is one of our favorite soups, basically a potato soup with Italian sausage. We asked for the recipe and were told that it may be on their website, but we could not find it. So, I set about trying to create my version of it. After several  tries and a couple of different versions, this is what I came up with and we think this version is pretty close to the original. 
  INGREDIENTS
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1/2 Large Onion, chopped small
1 lb Italian Sausage, skin removed, cut into small bite size
1/2 lb Bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
8 Medium Potatoes, skin on, cut into 1/8 inch thick, bite size
1/2 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 Head of Kale, chopped
2 Qts Chicken Stock
1/2 Pint Heavy Cream
1/2 Tsp Thyme Leaves
1/2 Tsp Herbes de Provence
1 Tsp Worcester Sauce
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Black Pepper
1/2 Tsp White Pepper

  DIRECTIONS
   In a large saucepan, add olive oil and bring to medium heat. Add sausages and brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve in a bowl. Add bacon to pan and cook, stirring. Add onions and crushed red pepper and stir to avoid burning.When onions are translucent, add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add half the potatoes and bring to a simmer. Add all the seasoning items and continue to simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes begin to crumble. Add the sausages and the remaining potatoes and simmer for barely 20 minutes. Add kale after about 10 minutes. Add cream and stir. Adjust seasoning and serve.