Good Eatin' On Those Cold Days In Hillmomba

Last week when the weather turned cold again after the brief thaw... I made a big pot of cabbage, potatoes, and sausage. I first learned of this dish when my sister the ex-mayor's wife made it while they were camping. That's how they do things. Get a fancy camper, and then cook just like at home. I personally don't see the point, but to each her own.

Anyhoo... this was back when HOS (Farmer H's Oldest Son), and The (Little Future) Veteran were in their young teenage years. We took them to a local state park where Sis and family were camping, for a day of swimming and fishing and sitting around in lawn chairs. When Sis told me what she was serving for supper, it did not sound very appetizing to me. I was wrong! (Pretty sure I marked a calendar for that amazing feat.)

It may not look tasty to you, but it is delicious! The flavors go together just right. Especially with a corn muffin on the side. Or even crumbled up in the juice.

This is so easy to make. Just put a layer of potatoes on the bottom of the pan. Add water to the top of the potatoes. Put the cut-up sausage or Little Smokies (I have both here) on top of the potatoes. Then cut the cabbage into sections and set on top of the sausage to steam as you simmer the pot (with the lid open a crack) for a couple hours. Don't forget to check the water every 15 minutes or so!

Sadly, this time my water boiled out between checkings, and the potatoes started burning to the bottom of the pan. Farmer H had just come in, and I said, "Do you smell something burning?" He took the pot off the hot burner, and tried to stir the bottom with a long spoon. Unfortunately, that tore the tops off the soft potatoes, which then gummed up on the bottom of the hot pan and charred! Had I dipped the cabbage and sausage off the top to see what was going on, some of the potatoes might have been salvaged. I had placed them skin side down, and those skins were still intact, with just a dime-sized char spot where they touched the pan. The soft insides, though, burned immediately upon contact with the sizzling metal.

I managed to dip the cabbage and sausages out. Then I had to work on that pot with a 1/4 inch of "charcoal" potatoes stuck to it. Boiling water with dish detergent in it brought up that charred mess over time.

Luckily I had other potatoes, so I just boiled some alone, and we added the cabbage and sausage over them. The quick action had kept the cabbage and sausage from getting a charred taste. It was just a normal meal, which we ate over four days. Mmm!