Shrimp, Andouille & White Bean Stew Over Creamy Polenta
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Rancho Gordo Field Peas with Thick-Cut Bacon Over Buttered Baked Potatoes
Some meals are planned.
Others assemble themselves in layers —
soaked beans, rendered bacon, softened onions, crisped potatoes —
each doing quiet work before they meet.
This is that kind of meal.
Not complicated.
Just intentional.
And yes — thick-cut bacon.
Because texture matters.
Why We Soak
Rancho Gordo beans are dried beans. They need water before heat.
An overnight soak (8–12 hours):
- Promotes even cooking
- Protects the skins
- Shortens cook time
- Produces a cleaner broth
Field peas especially reward patience. Soak them.
Ingredients
For the peas
- 1 lb Rancho Gordo field peas, soaked overnight and drained
- 1 onion, halved
- 3–4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- Parsley stems (optional)
- Salt (added near the end)
For the finish
- 6–8 oz thick-cut bacon, diced
- ½ cup jarred roasted red peppers, sliced
- Fresh cracked black pepper
For serving
- 2–4 russet potatoes
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Butter
Step 1 – Cook the Peas
Add soaked peas to a heavy pot with onion, garlic, bay, and parsley stems.
Cover with fresh water by about 2 inches.
Bring to a gentle simmer — never a hard boil.
Maintain a steady medium-slow simmer for 1½ to 2 hours, until creamy inside but intact.
Salt during the final 20–30 minutes.
Remove aromatics before finishing.
Step 2 – Bake or Air Fry the Potatoes
Scrub russets.
Rub with olive oil.
Salt generously.
Bake or air fry at 400°F for 55–65 minutes until skins crackle and interiors fluff.
Split while hot. Add butter. Fluff lightly.
Step 3 – Render the Bacon
Start thick-cut bacon in a cold skillet.
Bring heat up gradually.
You want rendered fat, crisp edges, and a meaty center.
Remove once browned but not brittle. Remove about 1/2 of the fat and reserve for another use. Leave the remaining fat in the pan.
Step 4 – Finish
Add roasted red peppers to the bacon fat. Let them soften.
Stir in peas and 1–2 ladles of broth.
Simmer 5–10 minutes until glossy and lightly reduced.
Return bacon to the pan.
Taste. Adjust salt and pepper.
It should coat a spoon — not run.
Assemble
Spoon peas over the buttered potato.
Let the hot starch absorb the broth.
Finish with cracked pepper.
No bread necessary.
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