Country Ham and Potatoes

Last week of June and the summer is fully here, deep and heavy and hot in the way that is genuinely uncomfortable and also beautiful if you can get yourself into the right frame for it. I have been getting up at six to walk before the heat sets in, which is a habit Tyler started and I picked up from him. He says the morning is when everything is possible. He is right about that.

I went back to the Clarke family dinner this Sunday. Different circumstance, more relaxed, fewer brothers present. Just Debbie and Roy and Tyler's oldest brother Marcus and his girlfriend. Debbie cooked this time: a whole spread that included her chicken and dumplings, which I ate reverently, tasting every element against my own attempt and noting what I had gotten right and what I had not. Her dumplings are flatter and wider than mine. She cooks them in the broth until they are slippery and tender and the broth is thick from the starch. The key I had missed: she adds a little more butter than you think is necessary. Of course she does.

Debbie made sweet tea by the gallon, which Tyler had told me about but I had not seen until now. A full gallon jug of extremely sweet tea that is replenished without comment throughout the afternoon. I asked her how much sugar and she said she does not measure it. I asked if I could watch next time she makes it. She looked at me and said baby, you can come any Sunday you want and I will show you everything I know. Tyler was watching from across the kitchen and he had a specific expression on his face that I filed away to examine later.

I drove home from the Clarke’s on Sunday with Debbie’s voice still in my head — baby, you can come any Sunday you want — and a specific kind of hunger that had less to do with food and more to do with wanting to carry that warmth into my own kitchen. I wasn’t ready to attempt the chicken and dumplings again, not yet, but I needed something Southern and hearty and honest, something that felt like the same spirit. Country ham and potatoes was exactly that: the kind of dish that fills a kitchen with a smell that makes a place feel like home.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
3/4 lb country ham, sliced into strips or bite-sized pieces
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Render the ham. In a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add the country ham pieces and cook for 3–4 minutes until the edges begin to brown and some fat renders out. Remove the ham and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pan.
Soften the onion. Add the butter to the skillet with the drippings. Once melted, add the sliced onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 6–8 minutes until softened and just beginning to turn golden.
Add the potatoes. Nestle the sliced potatoes into the skillet in an even layer over the onions. Season with black pepper and garlic powder. Pour the chicken broth over everything.
Cover and cook. Cover the skillet tightly with a lid or foil and cook over medium-low heat for 18–20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender and have absorbed most of the broth.
Return the ham and finish. Uncover the skillet, return the ham pieces to the pan, and stir gently to combine. Cook uncovered for another 4–5 minutes until any remaining liquid reduces and the potatoes develop a lightly golden crust on the bottom.
Serve. Taste for seasoning — country ham is salty, so add salt only if needed. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve directly from the skillet.

Nutrition (per serving)

Country Ham and Potatoes — The Sunday Table I’m Still Learning to Belong To