Potato and Black-Eyed Pea Soup

• 2 quarts chicken, turkey, or vegetable stock  (I used the stuff I made by boiling down our Thanksgiving turkey carcass.)
• 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes in 3/4-inch cubes  (5 small – 3 large. I scrub but don’t peel them)
• 1 1/2 cups dry black-eyed peas (3-4 cups soaked, or 2 cans)
• 1/2 pound of firm sausage (I like andouille. Polish is fine, too.)
• 1/2 pound collard greens, after washing, de-stemming, and tearing into pieces (Or 1/2 a bag of frozen chopped collards)
• 1 onion
• Salt and pepper to taste

Halve or quarter sausage lengthwise and slice 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick, as you prefer. Brown it and drain it thoroughly.
Cook onion a little in a bit of the leftover sausage grease.
In a large pot, add coarsely-chopped onions and soaked beans to stock and boil, then simmer for an hour or so.
Add the potatoes and cook until they are partly done.
Add collards and cook until they are wilted.
Squash the potatoes against the side of the pot and stir them in to thicken the soup.
You can also leave the lid off and let it cook down awhile until it reaches desired thickness (I like thick soup).