Van Galley Potato and Salami Skillet
One pan on the two-burner. Potatoes, hard salami, and enough fat to hold it together.
- calories
- 640
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 71
- protein
- 22 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 35 min
- water
- 100 ml cold
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Breakfast
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Potatoes | 1 lb | waxy ones hold their shape; they keep for weeks in a van locker |
|---|---|---|
| Onion | 1 medium | |
| Hard dry-cured salami | 5 oz | whole stick, no refrigeration needed until cut |
| Olive oil | 3 tbsp | |
| Smoked paprika | 1 tsp | |
| Salt and black pepper | to taste | |
| Vinegar or lemon powder | 1 tsp | optional, at the end |
Method
- Cut the potatoes into half-inch cubes. Small pieces cook through before the outsides burn. Slice the onion thin and cut the salami into coins.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium. Add the potatoes and a good pinch of salt. Leave them alone for five minutes so one side browns.
- Stir, add the onion, and cook another five minutes.
- Pour in about 100 ml of water and cover the pan. Steam for eight to ten minutes, until a knife goes through a cube without resistance.
- Take the lid off and let the last of the water cook away. Add the salami and paprika and fry hard for three minutes so the salami edges curl and release their fat.
- Pepper it, splash on the vinegar if you have it, and eat out of the pan.
This is a van-kitchen dinner, not a backpacking one. It assumes a real burner, a real skillet, and a locker where potatoes and a salami stick can sit for a week without a cooler. Nothing in it needs refrigeration until the salami is cut.
The method is the whole recipe. Brown first, then steam under a lid, then dry the pan out again. Skipping the steam leaves you with cubes that are black outside and raw in the middle. The salami goes in last because its fat is the seasoning, and it turns to leather if it fries the whole time.
Packing
Potatoes and onion ride loose in a mesh bag under a bench, not in a sealed bin where they sweat. The salami stick keeps at cabin temperature until you cut it; after that, wrap the cut end and use it within a couple of days.
Variations
- Crack two eggs over the top at the end and cover the pan for three minutes.
- Swap the salami for a can of drained chickpeas and double the paprika.
- A handful of instant potato flakes stirred in soaks up any extra oil if you overpoured.
https://vanlifemag.de/westfalia-james-cook-600-d-kastenwagen-fuer-lange-vanlife-touren