Cook the bacon nice and crisp, drain and cool on paper towels, then chop in to small pieces. (Or chop before cooking – whichever you like.) Set aside
In a large 6qt stock pot, brown the Italian sausage.
Remove sausage from stock pot and put to the side with the bacon, but leave the little bit of sausage fat in the pan.
Sauté chopped onion, garlic and sliced potatoes on med-high heat in the sausage fat, tossing frequently until the onions are starting to get soft and translucent and the potatoes are starting to cook through.
Add the bacon pieces, Italian sausage, chicken broth and water back in to the pan.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat slightly and let simmer 20 mins or so until the potatoes are almost cooked through.
Add the cream, kale, salt & pepper, (plus optional red pepper flakes.)
Turn heat to med-low and let simmer for and additional 10-15 minutes or until kale is at desired consistency.
Serve with hot crusty bread or breadsticks!