Sausage and Potato —rsquo; Something Real for When the Appetite Comes Back

We are halfway through the six weeks of radiation. Fifteen sessions down, fifteen to go. Sean's fatigue is the dominant symptom. His nausea has been manageable with the anti-emetics, except Wednesday, which was a bad day, and Thursday, which was a recovery day. His blood counts remain within acceptable ranges. Dr. Pei is pleased. I am pleased. I will allow pleased. Pleased is a word I use carefully.

Wednesday the nausea got away from us. Sean could not keep water down. He lost a day. Thursday morning I tried something new — rice simmered in broth with a small knob of fresh ginger, cooked until the rice broke down, then strained until it was almost a gruel. I called it "ginger-rice porridge" for lack of a better name. I had seen something like it in a Japanese cookbook once. I had a hunch. Sean ate a small bowl at 10 AM and kept it down. He ate another at noon. He ate a third at 3 PM. He said "Kate. That worked." I said "I know." He said "make more." I made more. I made a big pot of it. I put some in the fridge and some in the freezer. I added it to the "Sean Soup" notebook as a new entry. I wrote down the exact proportions. I wrote: "Ginger-rice porridge. 1:6 rice-to-broth. 30 min simmer. Add 1 inch ginger, grated, in final 10 min. Strain optional. Use when nausea is severe."

I did not yet know that in five years I would make this same porridge for a stranger's chemo and she would cry when it stayed down. I did not know that this porridge would become one of the signature recipes of what we would call The Kettle. I did not know. I wrote the recipe for my husband. The rest I would write later.

I roasted a chicken Sunday, the simple roast, because Sean's appetite was back for a day and I wanted to give him something real. He ate a thigh and some of the skin. He ate a dumpling-like biscuit I had made to go with it. He ate canned cranberry — the jellied kind, from the can, which my mother considers trash food and which Sean adores. I do not police his food. He eats what he wants when he can. That is the current rule.

Nora has been clingy this week. She wants to be held more. She is a bright child. She is picking something up, even without being told. She knows Daddy is quiet sometimes now. She knows Mommy is concentrating. She wants skin-to-skin contact more. I hold her more. I carry her more. I let her sleep on my chest on the couch for forty minutes Saturday afternoon. I did nothing else for those forty minutes. That was my chore for the afternoon.

I studied Wednesday night and Thursday night. My first NP exam is in six days. It is open-book but rigorous. I will pass it. I will pass all of them. I am doing the thing.

The roast chicken Sunday was a gift — Sean’s appetite surfaced for a day and I wanted to meet it with something real. This sausage and potato recipe is the kind of thing I reach for in those windows: one pan, honest ingredients, nothing that requires negotiating with a body that’s been through something hard. It doesn’t ask too much of the cook or the person eating it, and right now, that matters more than almost anything else.

Sausage and Potato

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb smoked sausage (kielbasa or andouille), sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional, for finishing)

Instructions

1. Par-cook the potatoes. Place potato chunks in a pot, cover with cold salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook for 8—10 minutes until just barely fork-tender. Drain and set aside. They should hold their shape — not fully cooked through.
2. Brown the sausage. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage slices in a single layer and cook 2—3 minutes per side until browned. Remove to a plate.
3. Saute the vegetables. In the same pan, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add onion and bell pepper and cook over medium heat for 5—6 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
4. Add potatoes and season. Add the drained potatoes to the pan. Sprinkle with smoked paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat and cook undisturbed for 3—4 minutes to develop some color on the potatoes.
5. Combine and finish. Return the browned sausage to the pan. Stir everything together and cook another 5 minutes over medium heat until the potatoes are golden and everything is heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning. Finish with chopped parsley if using.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 18g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 920mg