An autumn meal on a summer night

Earlier this week I ventured to my local Asian supermarket. My step-son discovered how yummy dried mango is, so I picked up a few bags, plus some other goodies for the kids like fruit coconut jellies, Pocky, and Hello Panda cookies. I also cruised the produce aisles to make me feel better about buying junk food, where we picked up kiwis both green and golden, fresh lychees, peppers, onions, snow peas, and butternut squash.

Tonight I had a meal in mind has become a family favorite, pork chops with roasted vegetables and potatoes.

Funny how buying one thing like a butternut squash can set the menu in motion. I paired butternut squash with apples and petite potatoes and some fresh herbs for a truly delicious side dish to pair with my flavorful fried pork chops. I jazz thin cut pork chops up with some Dijon mustard and then bread them with panko and pan fry them until they are golden brown and delicious.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Potato Medley
Serves 4

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. petite new potatoes
butternut squash
1 large granny smith apple
6-8 sage leaves
3-4 sprigs thyme
olive oil
apple cider vinegar
garlic powder
salt and pepper

Directions: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Cut your butternut squash in half width-wise so you have the top half and the half with the seeds. For this recipe I only used the top half and put the other half in the fridge for another meal. Peel and cube your squash into pieces about the same size as the potatoes. I picked up these tiny new potatoes from Whole Foods and they are perfectly bite-sized, but if you had larger new potatoes you could always quarter them.

Peel your apple if you wish, then dice the same size as the squash. I added some sage and thyme that I had growing in my kitchen window, then tossed the whole thing with a good glug of olive oil, a splash of apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, salt and pepper and spread it out evenly on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil for easy clean-up. In hind sight, I would spray the foil with a bit of non-stick spray, as I did have some sticking issues with everything caramelizing. Roast for 20-30 minutes until potatoes and squash are fork-tender.

 

 

Dijon Mustard Fried Pork Chops

 

Ingredients:

Thin cut pork loin chops

2 Tbsp. coarse ground Dijon mustard

1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 tsp. ground mustard

2 eggs

Panko breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper

Vegetable oil for frying

 

Directions: Add about 1/4" vegetable oil to a cast-iron or other heavy bottomed pan and heat on about medium. Season pork with salt and pepper. Spread a thin coat of Dijon on each side.

Set up your breading station. Add about 1 tsp. of salt, pepper, and ground mustard to about a 1/2 cup of flour into a dish. Beat the two eggs in another dish, and put your panko breadcrumbs in a third.

 

Coat each chop in flour, then egg, and panko, making sure to shake off the excess between each step. Fry on each side about 3-4 minutes until golden and crispy.

 



Drain on a paper towel and season with a sprinkle of salt while still hot.