Pork and Potatoes

Second week of January and the thought about Crystal Dawkins has not left. I have been letting it sit without acting on it, which is not the same as letting it go. I am paying attention to the difference.

I made a pot of chicken and rice soup this week because January is soup season and I needed something to do with my hands that was not thinking. The soup is the version I have been making for five years now, the whole-bird method that produces the golden broth, with carrots and celery and rice and the fresh dill I have started adding in the last year. I ate it for three dinners and brought some to Gloria's on Sunday and she tasted it and said: you put dill in this. I said yes. She said: that is good. You adapted it. I said I think I have been doing that for a while. She said: yes. It is called cooking.

I told Tyler about Crystal Dawkins this week. Not in detail, just the fact of it: that I have been thinking about looking for her, that I do not know what I would do if I found her, that I do not know what I want from it. He listened without interrupting, which for Tyler, who is naturally talkative, was something I noticed. He asked one question when I was done: do you want me to come with you if you go? I said not yet. He said okay. He meant the okay in a way that was complete. Not okay for now. Just okay. I will decide. He will be there.

The soup ran out by Wednesday, and I still had the week ahead of me. I needed another reason to stand at the stove—another thing that required just enough attention to crowd out the rest of it—and pork and potatoes is exactly that kind of cooking: honest, unhurried, something Gloria would recognize. You adapt it, same as anything. You keep making it.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs pork shoulder or pork loin, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, sliced into rounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving

Instructions

Season the pork. Pat the pork pieces dry with paper towels. Season generously on all sides with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
Sear the pork. Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork in a single layer and sear for 3—4 minutes per side until browned. Work in batches if needed. Remove and set aside.
Soften the aromatics. Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion and carrots to the same pot and cook for 4—5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
Build the braise. Stir in the Dijon mustard and dried thyme. Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add pork and potatoes. Return the seared pork to the pot. Add the potato chunks and stir everything together. The liquid should come about halfway up the ingredients; add a splash more broth or water if needed.
Simmer until tender. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 30—35 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender and the pork is cooked through.
Finish and serve. Taste and adjust seasoning. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh parsley.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pork and Potatoes — Something Warm to Do With Your Hands