By The second six-week cycle ended Tuesday. Bernadette asked who is coming back. Five of us said yes. The other two are taking a break, which is healthy. Bernadette said rest is also a stage.
Clinic was hard Thursday — a 4-month-old in for a well-baby check who turned out to have a murmur I was uncertain about. I called peds cards at Children's, got him in Friday morning. Innocent murmur, they said Friday afternoon. The baby is fine. The parents were terrified Thursday night. I called them Friday after the specialist called me. The mother cried on the phone and thanked me. I said you are welcome. This is the work.
Liam's 1st grade has parent-teacher conferences next week. Mrs. Keogh set ours for Thursday 3:15. I will take an hour off. She said it will be a good meeting. I believe her but I will still be nervous.
Nora's pre-K is running smoothly. Miss Rivera said Nora is a leader in the classroom. I laughed. I said she leads our household too. Miss Rivera laughed. We are in sync about Nora.
Group Tuesday, last of cycle. I said my year-end summary: I started the cycle nine months into widowhood, I am finishing more than a year in. I am still sad. I am also living. Bernadette said that is the answer. One of the new members (second cycle for her) said I hope I can say that in a year. I said you will. Then I thought, I do not know that. But I said it anyway.
Saturday pancakes. Burned the first one. Liam wants a pet. He asked again. I said not yet. He said when. I said when I can afford the vet bills and you can walk it. He said I can walk it. I said we will see.
Sunday dinner at Southie. Ma made boiled dinner — corned beef, cabbage, carrots, potatoes. It is fall now. Corned beef is a winter thing, usually, but Ma sometimes does it early when she is thinking about Dad's mother who was from County Cork. Nobody complained.
Food of the week: boiled dinner. Corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots. Salt and pepper. Mustard on the side. A Southie staple.
Ma’s boiled dinner Sunday — the corned beef, the cabbage, all of it — reminded me that some food doesn’t need a reason beyond the season and who you’re thinking about. The potatoes were what I kept coming back to, soft and salted and honest. So this week I made a simpler version at home, just for us, just new potatoes with butter and herbs — the kind of thing that works on a Saturday morning after you’ve burned the first pancake and the kids are already asking for a dog.
New Potatoes
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs small new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
- Optional: flaky sea salt for finishing
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes. Place halved new potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook 12–15 minutes, until just fork-tender. Drain and set aside.
- Build the pan. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter with olive oil. Add garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring, until fragrant but not browned.
- Finish the potatoes. Add drained potatoes to the skillet, cut-side down. Season with salt and pepper. Cook undisturbed 3–4 minutes until lightly golden on the cut side. Toss gently and cook another 2 minutes.
- Add the herbs. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley and thyme. Taste and adjust salt. Finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt if you have it.
- Serve. Transfer to a bowl or plate. These are good hot, and honestly fine at room temperature too.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 195 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 27g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 310mg