Cut potatoes and meat into cubes.  Heat butter or oil in a large pot and brown the meat.  Dust with 1 tbsp. flour and ½ tsp. paprika.  Add 1½ l cold water, potatoes, bay leaves, lovage, salt and pepper.  Cook 45 minutes.  Before serving stir in the cream/sour cream and a handful of chopped parsley or chervil.

Tip:
Mix mealy and firm-cooking potatoes.  Cut mealy potatoes into small cubes; they fall apart during cooking and give the soup a creamy consistency.  Or you may stir 1 tbsp. instant potato flakes into 250 ml of the soup, add it to the rest of the soup toward the end of cooking and gently bring to a boil.

Remove the skin from the fresh bratwurst, shape into small balls and boil in the soup a few minutes.  They have a milder taste than smoked bratwurst. Fresh lovage leaves (also called Maggikraut - they taste like Maggi seasoning) are an excellent addition to the soup.  They may be cooked with the soup or added before serving with the parsley.

Translated by Rose Vetter