Iron Chef: Pork chops

[Starhawk]

So, I'm having my SO show me how to make real mashed potatoes (i.e. non-instant) and a refresher on pork chops.

The potatoes just got put in the pot to boil. Apparently I need to start the pork chops in about half an hour, and she told me that the sauce/spices/flavoring of the pork chops is up to me.

:banghead:

So, Iron Chef me a good scheme to make this stuff. We generally cook in a dash of olive oil on mild heat. Here are my possible ingredients:


Ketchup
BBQ sauce
Soy sauce
Teriyaki
Yellow mustard
A basic spice rack with stuff i've heard of before: garlic, onion salt, rosemary, thyme, paprika, etc etc etc. Also cayenne, some funky Chinese five-spice shaker, and the usual salt, pepper, and sugar.


Any suggestions in the next 30 min or so?

[Starhawk]

I guess I should wait for my emergency Iron Chef posts until there are actually more people online.

Ended up going with soy sauce, a little garlic and five-spice, and a dash of cayenne. Definitely not awful, but not the best I've ever had either.

On the other hand, I'm pretty proud of myself for my first time making mashed potatoes from scratch and getting the meat nice and tender. :grin:

[Paulypalooza]

I guess I should wait for my emergency Iron Chef posts until there are actually more people online.

Ended up going with soy sauce, a little garlic and five-spice, and a dash of cayenne. Definitely not awful, but not the best I've ever had either.

On the other hand, I'm pretty proud of myself for my first time making mashed potatoes from scratch and getting the meat nice and tender. :grin:

for next time pork loves rosmary and thyme. But remember that both can be potent in small doses. And garlic goes with almost everything.

[BattleNymph]

I guess I should wait for my emergency Iron Chef posts until there are actually more people online.

Ended up going with soy sauce, a little garlic and five-spice, and a dash of cayenne. Definitely not awful, but not the best I've ever had either.

On the other hand, I'm pretty proud of myself for my first time making mashed potatoes from scratch and getting the meat nice and tender. :grin:

Always a win! For pork chops, I like either just salt and pepper and nothing else, or for a change, orange juice and honey.

[Starhawk]

The SO made a sauce with OJ last year that totally kicked butt.

I'd like to figure out something "new" that I could surprise her with.

[Amso]

I have an absolutely yummy recipe for mashed potatos made with cream cheese. Seriously, you have to try them. I used to put sour cream in my mashed potatos, but I'm never doing that again, unless I don't have access to cream cheese.

[silverwhisper]

sorry, starhawk.

you sauce might have been aided by the addition of rice wine vinegar in small quantities and a touch of ginger, which is often paired with pork.

alternately, the more familiar flavors suggested by the others would be lovely as well. i share pauly's appreciation for rosemary, myself.

[Paulypalooza]

I have an absolutely yummy recipe for mashed potatos made with cream cheese. Seriously, you have to try them. I used to put sour cream in my mashed potatos, but I'm never doing that again, unless I don't have access to cream cheese.

I've always put sour cream in my mashed but now I gotta try that.

[Archer]

I like keeping Mrs. Dash in my spice rack. Its great for those times when you can't decide how to spice up a piece of meat.

http://www.mrsdash.com/MDproducts/products_sb_original.cfm

[Starhawk]

A head of real live garlic would be one of those things that hasn't found its way into my apparently basic kitchen yet.

Am I the equivalent of a foodie caveman? :shocked:

[silverwhisper]

nah, at least you know of garlic. that puts you roughly dark ages. :D

[happykat]

Since we're talking mashed potatoes.....you can even try horseradish blended in with cream.

Pork chops simmered in a mushroom sauce is also pretty basic. You can try simmering chops in white wine thickened with a very generous portion of sour cream, too. Chops are pretty versatile, IMO.

[COTSBOE]

A head of real live garlic would be one of those things that hasn't found its way into my apparently basic kitchen yet.

Am I the equivalent of a foodie caveman? :shocked:


Easy lesson to bring you into the twenty-first century:

Buy a head of garlic. wrap it in foil. Turn your oven onto 350. Place foiled garlic on center rack. Leave there for 30 minutes. Remove foiled garlic from oven (turn oven off). Remove foil from garlic. Cut garlic in half (horizontally). Squeeze the insides out into whatever you're adding it to. Discard leftover.

[Paulypalooza]

Easy lesson to bring you into the twenty-first century:

Buy a head of garlic. wrap it in foil. Turn your oven onto 350. Place foiled garlic on center rack. Leave there for 30 minutes. Remove foiled garlic from oven (turn oven off). Remove foil from garlic. Cut garlic in half (horizontally). Squeeze the insides out into whatever you're adding it to. Discard leftover.

I always cut off the top the bulb and drizzle on a little olive oil and salt on the cut end before I put my garlic in the oven (Still wrapping it in foil as Tony does). It adds a little flavor and you can squeeze the garlic out of the bulb like toothpaste when you take it out of the oven.

[Haze]

Somewhat after the event, I like my pork chops pan fried with honey and a little white wine just to pour over when it's finished.

Mashed potatoes are good with plenty of butter and milk and even better with the addition of a decent cheddar cheese melted through it.

[Mouser]

My recipe for porkchops will save you a lot of money.

:D

[TinSoldier]

Huh. I have never put garlic in the oven like that. Interesting.

I used to buy garlic powder. The past few years I've bought minced garlic in the jar and just use it as needed.

[BattleNymph]

Easy lesson to bring you into the twenty-first century:

Buy a head of garlic. wrap it in foil. Turn your oven onto 350. Place foiled garlic on center rack. Leave there for 30 minutes. Remove foiled garlic from oven (turn oven off). Remove foil from garlic. Cut garlic in half (horizontally). Squeeze the insides out into whatever you're adding it to. Discard leftover.

Heh, I like the reminder to turn the oven off especially.

[Mouser]

Spreadable garlic is the best...