5 - 6 medium red potatoes
1 - 2" X 2" piece of salt meat.
1 med. onion chopped
Cooking oil or bacon grease to just cover bottom of pot.
Pinch of garlic powder or one clove of fresh.
Small handful of fresh parsley
Salt (maybe) and fresh ground black or white pepper.
1/2 cup green onions.
Cube the salt meat in 1/2" X 1/2" pieces. Boil the meat in a few cups of
water to remove excess salt, about 10 minutes. Remove and save the
water. Put oil in a pot and, on a medium heat, sauté the onions and salt meat until they are evenly browned.
Smothered PotatoesAfter onions and meat are browned add about 1/4 cup of water (see note below) and stir to deglaze the pot then add potatoes and pepper (no salt yet). Lower the fire to med-low, and cook until the potatoes are just starting to soften a little stirring frequently (it will burn quick).
Don't be afraid to scorch a small amount of the potatoes just a little,
this adds flavor. Turn the fire to "Low" and add the green onions,
parsley and garlic, stir and continue to cook uncovered. You may see you need to add a little oil and/or water, this is a judgment call on your part. Remember however that this is the "smothered" method of cooking so there should be no remaining water in the pot once it is done.
It's done when the potatoes have just started to cream. The consistency
you're looking for is pieces of potato with a slight bit of creaminess.
You should be able to lift a forkful off the plate without it dripping.
Taste and add salt as needed.
Note: Salt meat water: You can taste the water to see if it actually tastes good (a little meat flavor and a little salty). If it does you can add a little of this to the potatoes. I've seen where the water was actually bitter in which case you wouldn't want to use it.
We used to drizzle a little cane syrup over the potatoes to jazz it up a little.