One Of Dolly Parton's Favorite Meals To Make For Guests Was Pure Southern Comfort

The death of Dolly Parton has been devastating for many worldwide, but she often saw life through a prism of joy. For the country music icon, cooking up a storm definitely resulted in happiness. When it came to entertaining guests at home, however, Parton's favorite dish was a Southern-made roast pork with sides of turnip greens, green beans, and fried okra.

When speaking to The New York Times back in 1992, Parton told the outlet that she had a fondness for one particular part of this homestyle main course. "I love roast pork, especially the fatty part," Parton confessed. "I can't help it, the greasier the food, the better." So, what does making a pork roast entail? It's certainly a labor of love.

While we don't have Parton's exact recipe on record, a typical take includes encrusting the meat in herbs, salt, and pepper before browning and then slow roasting it. You can jazz it up by including vegetables like bell pepper or making a roux-style gravy if you're looking for something beyond the usual honey, butter, and brown sugar glaze. The result is the kind of hearty down-home charm one expects when one eats at Dolly Parton's house — and during her lifetime she expressed an interest in all sorts of different kinds of food.

Of course, it wasn't just roast pork that put the sparkle in Dolly Parton's eyes. In speaking with The New York Times, Parton waxed nostalgic about her favorite foods. "I love Indian, Italian, and Mexican Food," she revealed. She also mentioned enjoying the wild game brought home by family members in her youth — everything from rabbit to bear meat. Oh, and one particular side dish always bowled her over. "Just give me my potato, any kind of potato, and I'm happy," she said at the time. But while Parton wasn't much of a baker, she loved one specific sweet sold at her self-named theme park Dollywood. "I can't leave here without funnel cakes," she once told Southern Living Magazine.

Interestingly, food became more closely entwined with Parton's public image over the years. Dollywood has long been known for its Cinnamon Bread, but she also teamed with Duncan Hines to put out an extensive line of baking mixes, canned frosting, frozen baked goods, and TV dinners. In her lifetime, Parton enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Cracker Barrel, a Coca-Cola partnership, and recently opened Dolly's Tennessean Travel Stop, which includes a full service restaurant and "Cup of Ambition"-branded coffee named after a line from her hit single "9 to 5." Since the artist believed in the glory of God, family, music, and food, remembering her with a big baked potato — or a heap of homemade roast pork — seems like an appropriate gesture.