Keeping Fun in Food
Sunday Dinner! I figure if the weekend is ending, we might as well go out in style. How about something a little tangy, a little sweet, and with a lot of flavor? This recipe may seem long, but you get to do double-duty with the ingredients and cooking equipment. The whole meal takes about 30 mins! Plus I think it’s a fun, new take on potato salad.
Sunday Supper Pork Chops and Honey Mustard Potato and Asparagus Salad (serves three)
Pork chop and honey mustard potato salad ingredients.
Start off by boiling four cups of water in a large pot. Season with a sprinkle of salt. Add mini red potatoes to the pot and cook for 5-7 minutes. You should be able to insert a fork completely through the potatoes when they are finished. Put in a medium mixing bowl, and cut each potato in half. While warm, season with a tsp of salt and a 1/2 tsp of pepper and stir with a wooden spoon. Set aside.
At the same time, melt 1 tbs of butter over medium high heat in a pan. Season your pork chops with salt and pepper to taste on both sides. Once butter is melted, add pork chops to pan and cook for 3 mins on the first side. Then flip and cook the second side for 2-3 mins. Make sure to cook any fat on the pork chops to a golden brown (if you have fattier chops). Brown butter and pork fat = flavor! If need be, use your tongs to hold the fatty side down in your pan. Remove your chops and set them on a plate to rest for several minutes.
Golden brown pork chop.
Rinse your asparagus and bend them until the bottom of the stems break off. What’s left is the tender piece of the veggie. Add your bunch of asparagus to the same pan used for your pork chops. Add a 1/4 cup of the chicken broth to the pan where you cooked your chops. Add salt and pepper to taste, and cook over medium heat for 3-5 mins, moving them around periodically. You’ll know these are done when they turn a vibrant green. Transfer them to a cutting board to cool, and cut into bite sized pieces.
Asparagus cooked in pork fat and chicken broth. YUM!
Still with me? Ok, add your bite-sized asparagus pieces to the bowl of potatoes. Now to make the dressing. Add mustard, honey and vinegar to a small bowl. Stir/whisk to combine and then pour over the potato and asparagus mixture. Add 1 tbs of rosemary and oregano to finish. Stir and set aside.
Honey mustard potato and asparagus salad.
Final step! Add 1/4 cup of chicken broth and 1 tbs of rosemary to the pork chop pan over medium low heat. Let reduce for 1-2 mins. Return pork chops to the pan and coat in the sauce. Feel free to whip up a little extra honey mustard sauce for dipping. Now, go enjoy your Sunday Supper!
Looking for something a little sweet, a little fruity, and so tasty? Try out these darling little blueberry tarts.
Fresh Blueberry Tartlets (makes 8 mini tarts)
For the tart shell:
For the filling:
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Next, pulse 8-10 graham crackers in a food processor until they become little crumbs. Pour your crumbs into a mixing bowl and add melted butter, sugar and cinnamon. Stir to combine. The mixture will form little golden clumps. Gently press the 1/8 of the crumb mixture into each mini tartlet pan. Make sure to fill in all of the edges. Bake the tart shells aka crust in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 mins.
While the crust is baking, pour the water and sugar into a pot over medium high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, and then add 18 oz of your berries. Add in the cinnamon and lemon juice and stir periodically until the berries start to break down or pop. This will take about 8-10 mins. Add the corn starch and stir to incorporate. Cook for a few more minutes so that the corn starch dissolves, and then remove from the heat.
Divide your reserved whole blueberries among the tart shells. Pour the warm blueberry mixture over the whole berries and pop back in the oven at 350 degrees for just 5 more mins. Take out and cool to room temperature.
These little beauties were transported across state lines to my parent’s house, and traveled quite well nestled in their mini tart pans. I just covered them with ample cling wrap, and laid them flat. These tarts are delicious on their own, and even better topped with a dollop of mascarpone cheese or whipped cream with a touch of lemon zest.
Perfect Little Blueberry Tartlets