Atelier Food: When I Got Tired of Ordering - My Ham and Potato Stew

 

There comes a point during a particularly busy stretch when even food delivery starts to feel repetitive.

I know. A strange problem to have.

Ordering is supposed to be the easy option. No cooking, very little cleanup, and food appears at the door while I continue working.

But after several days of choosing from menus, I start wanting home food again.

Nothing elaborate. Definitely nothing requiring twelve ingredients, three pans and the sudden appearance of my Domestic Goddess alter ego.

I want something warm, filling and easy enough to make while my attention is still mostly somewhere else.

This ham and potato stew was exactly that.

And no, I do not have a beautiful photograph of it.

I was tired.

I was hungry.

I took one quick photo in the pan before eating, complete with the shadow of my phone looming over my dinner like an eclipse. 😂

That feels rather appropriate for Atelier Food.

Because this isn’t a collection of perfectly styled meals made in a spotless kitchen on leisurely afternoons. It’s food from the days when I’m actually making things, filling orders, moving between tasks and eventually realizing that the person running the atelier also needs to be fed.

This stew is particularly good for those days because it’s ridiculously easy.

You need:

Garlic

Onions

Ham chopped into bits

Potatoes, chopped

Carrots, chopped

Cream of mushroom soup

Salt and pepper to taste

Let’s do this!

1. Saute garlic and onion in a pan. 

2. Add the vegetables. Cook until they soften a little. 

3. Add the ham.

4. Pour the cream of mushroom. 

5. Add a little water if it’s too thick. 

6. Season with salt and pepper. Wait for the veggies to soften to your desired doneness. 

7. Serve with rice. 

Et, voila! Dinner! 

The potatoes make it substantial, the ham means I don’t have to fuss over preparing meat, and everything comes together into the kind of creamy, comforting bowl I want when I’ve had enough of takeout containers.

Was it photogenic?

Well, if I had taken effort. 

Did I care once I was sitting down with a bowl of it?

Not even slightly.

Sometimes Atelier Food is Japanese delivery spread across the table.

Sometimes it’s curry made to survive a swamped day.

And sometimes it’s a pan of ham and potato stew because I’m tired, hungry and would really like to eat something that came from my own kitchen again.

That counts too.

Especially that.

—-

I’ll set the table again soon.

Lady E
Founder, Lady E Eats
Where food becomes story, and every table holds a moment