Mother B's Potato Soup

This recipe was given to me by a very sweet lady who happened to be the mother of an old boyfriend. This is the best potato soup I have ever eaten and everyone I've served it to loves it. My kids beg me to make this for dinner.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 3  stalks celery (chop leaves)
• 3  medium onions
• 2  medium carrots, grated fine
• 1  quart  cubed potato
• 1⁄4 cup fresh parsley or 1 1⁄2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1  teaspoon sweet basil (must be sweet basil!)
• 2  teaspoons salt
• 6  tablespoons margarine
• 3⁄4 cup flour
• 3  cups milk
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  dash pepper
• 1  lb smoked sausage

Directions

1. Cut celery, and also cut the leaves off and chop them up fine.
2. Chop onions and finely grate carrots.
3. Add these three ingredients to a pot of with enough water to cover. Put over med. heat till it comes to a soft boil.
4. Add potatoes.
5. Add enough water to cover potatoes.
6. Add the parsley, sweet basil, and salt.
7. Cook over med. heat until potatoes are done.
8. In a separate pot, melt the margarine.
9. Slowly add the flour stirring constantly until it's thick.
10. Slowly add milk, a little bit at a time. Keep stirring as it becomes very thick, like mashed potatoes. Add the salt and pepper.
11. When it's so think it looks like mashed potatoes, it's ready. Add this mixture, gradually to the soup pot and cook until thick.
12. Slice the smoked sausage at the end and add to the soup pot.
13. This soup is even better when it's eaten the next day. It will be thicker, you may have to thin it a little then. You can also use crumbled bacon instead of the smoked sausage.
14. You cannot freeze this.