So Many Dishes

We experienced a Florida rarity yesterday: a gloomy, all-day rain. Yes, we have a rainy season that usually begins in mid-May and lasts until the middle of October. Even then, it’s very unusual for it to rain all day, unless there’s a tropical storm. A day like this in March? Most unusual.

Ken and I spent a quiet day, relaxing and reading, mostly. I’m not really complaining. We need the rain, as we have drought conditions. Plus, the rain is a result of what is probably the last “cold front” to push this far south. It’s not cold, but a high of 72 degrees at the end of March is definitely cooler than usual.

The dish I had decided to try last evening turned out to be perfect for the day. We had a package of boneless pork chops in the freezer that I wanted to use. Pork chops with bourbon-cherry sauce and sweet potatoes has been in my “recipes to try” file since I first saw it a few months ago. We decided to try it, even though it sounded more like a fall or winter meal to me.i

I found this recipe on the blog Accounting for Taste. Since I started blogging, I’ve encountered so many other interesting blogs, some food related, but many not. Lynn and Russ, who write Accounting for Taste, present a lot of interesting recipes. Their presentation is usually very straightforward: just the recipe and their reactions to it, without a lot of commentary. In other words, the exact opposite of this blog 😄

This pork and sweet potato dish is one they found via America’s Test Kitchen. My impression is that they stuck to the original recipe, but since I don’t have a subscription to the ATK website, I can’t verify that. Whether the recipe Lynn and Russ presented was the original or with their modifications, I used it as a guideline, and I’ll make at least one more change the next time I cook this.

My first adjustment was to use boneless pork chops, rather than the bone-in chops called for. I used my instant read thermometer to gauge when they were cooked, but the meat tasted overcooked to me. However, Ken and I agreed that this would be better using a pork tenderloin cut into medallions and then pan-seared. I can’t wait to try it this way.

My next change was to the sweet potato mash that serves as a base. America’s Test Kitchen has developed a method where they cook peeled potato slices in broth, and then purée them using an immersion blender, adding what, to me, is an inordinate amount of butter. I went a more traditional route, cutting the sweet potatoes into cubes and boiling in salted water. However, I added a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary to the cooking water. Great idea, since there’s rosemary in the sauce. I mashed the cooked potatoes with my old fashioned potato masher, adding just a tablespoon of butter and a couple tablespoons of milk. They were the best mashed sweet potatoes I’ve ever eaten, even without the sauce.

I only made two minor changes to the cherry-bourbon sauce. The original recipe calls for both fresh rosemary and fresh sage. I only used rosemary; we have a rosemary bush outside our front door, and I knew that, if I bought a package of fresh sage, most of the contents would spoil in the fridge. The other adjustment was to use less butter. In the end, I cut the butter from 8 tablespoons to just 3. I really don’t think it needed any more.

Aside from peeling and cubing the potatoes, there wasn’t a lot to prep before cooking. The dish came together easily. I finished mashing the potatoes while the pork chops cooked, and kept them warm on my stove’s warming spot. Timing was no issue.

Pork Chops with Bourbon-Cherry Sauce and Sweet Potatoes (Lynn’s version 😄)

• 1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2” cubes
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/4 cup milk
• 4 pork chops, bone-in or boneless, 3/4 to 1-inch thick
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon ( I used Penzey’s pie spice)
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 12 ounces frozen sweet cherries, quartered
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus one rosemary sprig

Add potatoes and rosemary sprig to a pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain, add 1 tablespoon of butter and the milk, and mash. Keep warm

Meanwhile, pat pork dry with paper towels and sprinkle with pie spice, and 1/2 teaspoon each kosher salt and ground black pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until well browned on both sides and registers 140 degrees. Transfer pork to a plate and tent with foil.

Whisk cornstarch and broth together in a bowl. To the now-empty skillet, add the broth mixture, cherries, bourbon, orange marmalade, and chopped rosemary. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and stir until mixture is thickened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Serve over pork chops and sweet potatoes. Makes 4 servings.

Happy eating!