pork shoulder, scalloped potato

Boneless shoulder roast sliced as a steak and marketed "for marination," meaning it's believed to be tough.  It was not tough. Either that or my teeth are in great shape because I ripped this up like a true carnivore. And it is already very flavorful so the dry rub, that was rubbed on both sides dryly, was totally unnecessary extra flavor. This cut was so cheap that it made me feel sorry for the poor beast that gave its all just to be so undervalued. And that is a pity. 

The rub worked its way in while the meat sat on the counter slowly rising to room temperature. 

* ground cumin sprinkled liberally

* salt

*pepper

A friend insists scalloped potatoes must properly be called escaloped potatoes. He's not particularly word-oriented but I must admit he makes a good point. 

scalloped = crenelated edges like a scallop. Sliced potatoes do not have that. 

escalope = a thin slice of meat or fish without bones, gristle, or skin. This type of potato disc is similar to that. 

But this is English, and usage counts, even if it's ridiculous or flatly wrong. Get used to it. So for the sake of fitting in and not making a fuss even though it's clearly wrong, behold, stovetop scalloped potato. 

The fast and easy one-potato way with none of that baked casserole nonsense but also no crumbly topping either, so there's that tradeoff. 

* a light roux started in the most useful pot with a lid.

* 1 level tablespoon A/P flour

* 1 hefty tablespoon butter

* S/P

* 1 big fat honk'n garlic clove

* 1 white onion sliced thinly

Sweat the onion, brown the roux, take care not to burn the garlic. In fact, that can be the thermometer, as soon as the garlic starts to brown douce it with liquid.

* 1/2 cup chicken broth

* 1/2 cup milk

* Cream ready to add but it never got used. The starch from the potato picked up where the roux left off and made the cream unnecessary. But if the potato would have needed more liquid, that liquid would have been cream.

* 1 potato sliced thinly. The thinner the potato is sliced, the more surface starch is available and the faster it cooks. I used a mandolin, the Japanese type, very dangerous if not actually lethal. They're great stand-ins for the much more expensive professional types. 

*  1 to 2 oz. cheese. Cheeeeeeeeese. I used the Australian cheddar. But I did have Irish cheddar available in case it wasn't enough. The cheeeeeeeeese was shredded and added to the pot off the heat after the potato slices were done cooking to avoid separation

* Sage, because I really really REALLY like sage right now. 

Truly, here is a chuck wagon dinner suitable for any modern-day bachelor or bachelorette. I would not be embarrassed to serve this at any ol' campout. 

♫ Oh I'm an old cowhaaaaand ♬ from the Rio Graaaaand

I use a cast-iron paaaaaan  ♪and ♫ I eat with ♪my ♪ haaaaaands.