Ham Potato Skillet

February is almost here. The coldest month in Savannah — not cold by anybody else's standards, but cold enough for us, cold enough that Earl feels it in his chest and I feel it in my knees, and we orbit the space heater like it's a campfire.

Kayla has been coming over more. Not Tuesday evenings anymore — she comes whenever she can, sometimes just for twenty minutes between shifts, just to sit in the kitchen and drink coffee and look at Earl through the doorway. She doesn't say what she's thinking. She doesn't have to. She's a cardiac nurse. She reads hearts for a living. She can read Earl's from across the room.

I caught her in the kitchen last Tuesday, standing at the sink, staring out the window at Earl's garden in the gray February light. She was crying. Quietly, the way Kayla cries — no sound, just tears. I touched her shoulder and she said, "Granny, is Granddaddy okay?" And I said the only true thing I could: "He's here, baby. Right now, he's here." She nodded. She wiped her face. She went into the living room and sat on the floor next to Earl's recliner and put her head against his knee, and he put his hand on her hair without looking away from the television, and they stayed like that for an hour.

I am cooking Earl's favorites. All of them. Every night this week: Monday, buttermilk pork chops. Tuesday, fried catfish. Wednesday, chicken and dumplings. Thursday, shrimp and grits. I am not doing this consciously. I am not making a farewell tour of his taste buds. I am simply — my hands are simply — making the food that this man has loved for forty-three years, and if my hands know something my mind doesn't want to know, then let the hands lead. They always have.

Earl ate well this week. Every night, he cleaned his plate. He said, "Dot, you're cooking like it's Christmas." I said, "Every night with you is Christmas, Earl Henderson." He said, "That's the corniest thing you've ever said." I said, "I mean it." He said, "I know you do." And he reached across the table and held my hand, and his hand was warm for the first time in weeks, and I held onto it like it was the last warm thing in the world.

Now go on and feed somebody.

Thursday was shrimp and grits, but I’m leaving you with the spirit of the whole week — something warm, something with pork, something you can make in one pan without thinking too hard, because sometimes your hands already know what they’re doing and you just need to let them. This ham and potato skillet is that kind of supper: simple, filling, the sort of thing you cook when you want to say I love you without making a fuss about it. Set it on the table. Sit down together. Hold somebody’s hand if you can.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 lb fully cooked ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Instructions

Par-cook the potatoes. Place cubed potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl with 2 tablespoons of water. Cover loosely and microwave on high for 4 to 5 minutes, until just barely fork-tender but not fully cooked. Drain and set aside.
Brown the ham. Melt butter in a large cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add ham cubes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes until lightly browned on the edges. Transfer ham to a plate and set aside.
Soften the vegetables. In the same skillet, add the onion and bell pepper. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
Add the potatoes. Add the par-cooked potatoes to the skillet. Sprinkle with smoked paprika, black pepper, and salt. Stir to coat. Pour in the chicken broth and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes until potatoes are golden and cooked through and the broth has mostly absorbed.
Combine and finish. Return the browned ham to the skillet and stir everything together. Taste and adjust seasoning. Reduce heat to low, scatter cheddar cheese over the top, and cover the skillet. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes until cheese is melted.
Serve. Remove the lid, sprinkle with fresh parsley if using, and bring the skillet straight to the table. Serve hot.

Nutrition (per serving)

Ham Potato Skillet — The Hands That Lead