I'm pretty sure the nearly-universal culinary act of frying up leftovers in a skillet with potatoes and onions goes by many names, but Andy's grandma Margaret called it lopjoy. Andy recalls that his grandma's breakfast lopjoy almost always also contained corn, generally leftover corn cut from cooked corn-on-the-cob, a frequent summer side dish at the family cabin, along with leftover meat (usually beef or pork) and the potatoes were cut in thin slices.
This is a great way to use up leftovers, and is flexible. Potatoes form the foundation- choose the number of potatoes based on the quantity of other ingredients you're using, and the number of people you're feeding. I'll often go with 1 small-medium potato per person. Scrub the potatoes so you can leave the peels on, then microwave the whole potatoes for a few minutes (I microwaved these 2 potatoes for 4 minutes) to soften them up so they cook more thoroughly in the skillet.
Preheat your cast iron skillet with a generous layer of oil over med-high heat. Halve and slice the potatoes and fry them until they're starting to brown well. Add the cooked leftover meat, diced, and some onion and keep cooking until all are nice and brown. Salt generously. You can include a few dried herbs, such as thyme, if you'd like.
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| Finished lopjoy with leftover pork chop and ribs |
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| Cutting the microwaved potatoes- if they crumble just a bit it's ok- throw in the skillet |
