Recipe: Loaded Smashed Red Potatoes

“The most important thing for me is to really buy the best ingredient.” - Wolfgang Puck

Potatoes are so extremely versatile - and loaded smashed red potatoes are one of my favorite ways to enjoy them.

This is the perfect dish to share with someone, or to enjoy solo. What I love most about this recipe is that you can change and modify it so easily. You can swap out the protein or cheese to your liking - the options endless. For this dish I used bacon, but you can easily substitute it out with chicken if you’re not a fan of pork. I truly hope you love this recipe, check out the directions below!

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What You’ll Need:

• 1 pound of baby red potatoes

• sea salt, to taste

• cracked black pepper, to taste

• 1/4 cup of olive oil

• 1/2 cup of chopped green onion

• 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese

• 6 slices of bacon, chopped and crumbled

• sour cream (optional)

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Directions:

STEP 1: Preheat oven to 425º. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover them fully in water. Season with salt.

STEP 2: Bring potatoes to a boil and boil until tender, approximately 10-15 minutes. Drain the pot, and let potatoes cool.

STEP 3: Transfer potatoes to a lined baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly drizzle olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss potatoes until totally combined with seasoning and olive oil is evenly distributed.

STEP 4: Then, smash the potatoes, and put them immediately in the oven.

Pro Tip: For smashing the potatoes, use the bottom of a drinking glass or mason jar. Also, you can use a large spoon or fork to flatten out the potatoes.

STEP 5: Bake potatoes until crispy, for about 20 to 25 minutes more. Occasionally flipping them to ensure they get crispy and are golden brown.

STEP 6: Once done, remove potatoes from the oven, and transfer them to a plate, top with cheese, bacon, green onion, and sour cream if you desire.

STEP 7: Serve and enjoy!

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XO, Analise

Recipe: Smoked Bone-In Pork Chop

“Food brings people together on many different levels. It's nourishment of the soul and body; it's truly love.” - Giada De Laurentiis

A pork chop is not a protein we cook often in our home, but my husband was really determined to master this dish. We created a southern classic entree, and did our unique spin on it. The smoked bone-in pork chop was such a neat dish to make, and sides we made really helped round out the meal.

Below I’m sharing all of the things you’ll need to recreate the dish at home.

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What You’ll Need

• 1 bone-in pork chop

• 2 tablespoon salt

• 4 tablespoon brown sugar, divided

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tablespoon of cracked black peppercorn

• 1 tablespoon of butter

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

• 2 tablespoons of coffee dry rub

Instructions

STEP 1: Place the pork chop in a wet brine for 24 hours, and cover it in the fridge. The brine should include salt, brown sugar, cracked black peppercorn, and bay leaves.

STEP 2: Once the brining is complete, remove the pork chop from the fridge, and cover the meat with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and coffee dry rub. Ensure you have enough seasonings to completely cover the meat.

STEP 3: Place the seasoned pork back into the fridge, covered, for a minimum of 8 hours.

STEP 4: When you are ready to cook your protein, remove it from the fridge for at least one hour prior to placing on the grill and smoking.

STEP 5: While the pork is getting to room temperature, this is the best time to prepare your grill setup.

• The grill setup contains a “hot and cold side”. On the “hot side” is the fire, a mixture of charcoal and mesquite wood. On the opposite side, the “cold side”, creates an indirect smoke for the pork chop to cook at a consistent temperature.

STEP 6: Once, the temperature of the grill reaches 250-300 degrees, place the pork chop into a buttered and oiled cast iron on the grill’s “cold side”. This process takes about 10-15 minutes or until the pork chop’s internal temp reaches 140 degrees,

Pro Tip: Use a digital thermometer during the cook process. You’ll get a more accurate cook on the protein.

STEP 7: After, the pork chop reaches the ideal internal temperature on the “cold side” of the grill, move it to the “hot side”, and begin searing both sides of the pork, approximately 2 minutes on each side.

Pro Tip: Searing it on both sides allows you to create a nice crust from the brown sugar and coffee dry rub.

STEP 8: Once the pork chop is seared, remove the cast iron from the grill, and let the protein rest for 5-10 minutes.

Pork chop from the cast iron during the resting process.

Flavor Profile

• The brown sugar and coffee dry rub combination allows the pork chop to have a sweet and salty flavor.

• Also, by smoking the protein with mesquite wood, it gives the pork chop a hearty flavor component.

• This protein could be compared to the style and taste of candied bacon.

Cutting swiss chard to sauté and use as a side dish for the pork chop entree.

Pork chop on top garlic herb mashed potatoes with a side of swiss chard.

XO, Analise