Pork Chops with Oven Roasted Potatoes & Sauteed Zucchini
As promised this is the first of my summer entertaining posts.
Deciding what to make when throwing a party or even just cooking for family is aways the first hurdle to entertaining. This very simple, but elegant menu will get you started. It is extremely easy to shop for and cook. I’ve included lots of photos which my friends all say they need, so I am trying to take them as I go along.
This dinner was super easy to execute and it is a menu my husband loves (meat and potatoes). It’s kind of old school and reminiscent of what my mother cooked when I was a kid, but with a goat cheese and fresh herb salad and delicious seasonings and the use of olive oil to brown the meat instead of a flour and oil dredged combination, it actually tastes quite modern.
This meal took me about 10 minutes to shop for at my local grocery store and then it took about a half hour to cook. The potatoes took a little bit longer, so I started them first and put them on the platter last.
When having friends to dinner I often stress over how to serve the food. I usually serve it family style at the bar in my kitchen or in individual serving dishes at the table, but I liked having it all on this large platter. It was easy to clean up too and I think it looks really fresh and appetizing this way.
Pork Chops
2 lb. pork chops
2 tablespoons olive oil
Seasonings below
I do rubs on all my meat and for the pork I sprinkled both sides with the following:
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic Salt
- Paprika
- Cumin
- Tarragon
Heat a large skillet until hot and add olive oil. Brown pork chops on both sides, this takes about 2 minutes per side, then reduce heat until cooked through.
Oven Baked Red Potatoes
2 lb. red potatoes (choose potatoes on the smaller size)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh herbs (rosemary and thyme)
Blue Cheese salad dressing for dipping
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Quarter potatoes and then place them on a baking sheet, add olive oil, salt and pepper and herbs. Toss well with your hands to coat all sides of the potatoes. Allow to cook for 20 minutes or until they no longer stick to the baking sheet then turn them with tongs to brown all sides for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Zucchini
2 medium sized zucchini
2 teaspoons butter (if you are dairy-free use olive oil)
Salt and pepper.
Heat a small skilled until hot and add butter. Once the butter is melted add the zucchini and sauté until soft and slightly browned. Add salt and pepper and serve.
Fresh Herb Salad
4 cups Fresh Herb Salad mix
Handful of Croutons (see my recipe in Real Food For Real People)
1/2 cup candied pecans
2 teaspoons herbed goat cheese
1/4 cup or more White Balsamic Salad Dressing (see my recipe in Real Food For Real People) or use vinaigrette of your choice
In a salad bowl place 4 cups of salad, goat cheese, croutons and pecans and toss with salad dressing. Add dressing slowly and then toss with tongs to coat each piece of lettuce.
Sydney 