This idea came to me because I have made chicken roll-ups with various ingredients and I wanted to try the same thing using pork. I had just bought a jar of Carmelized Red Onion and Fig Tampenade from the Queen Creek Olive Mill (available here: http://queencreekolivemill.com/store/spreads-condiments/jarred-spreads/caramelized-red-onion-and-fig-tapenade-9-oz.html) and I've been wanting to try it. I paired it with pork because pork and figs go amazingly well together. Here's what I did...
-thinly sliced (or pounded) pork cutlets
-thinly sliced prosciutto (it's dry-cured ham)
-preferably aged provolone, but any provolone will work
-Carmelized Red Onion and Fig Tampenade (if you can't get this, you can just carmelize some sweet onions instead, but this adds such a sweet rich flavor to the meat)
-toothpicks
For a side, I made smashed potatoes. Here's what you'll need for those...
-Yukon gold potatoes, skins on (I know these are a little more expensive then the regular Russett potatoes, but they really are worth it. They are so silky smooth and have a completely different flavor.) Allow one potato per person and one additional potato for the pot.
-Parisien bonnes herbes (available here: http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysparisienherb.html) or dried chives
-Chicken stock
-butter
-Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 375. Lay the pork cutlets out on a cutting board (I recommend using plastic cutting boards anytime you're dealing with meat because they can go into the dishwasher to get sanitized unlike most wooden cutting boards) and layer 1 or 2 slices of prosciutto on top, followed by a slice of provolone cheese and about 1 TBS of the Carmelized Red Onion and Fig Tampenade. Gently, but tightly begin rolling the pork cutlet away from you, tucking in the prosciutto, cheese and onion mixture as needed. Secure the seam with the toothpicks. Salt and pepper the outside of the pork. Set aside to prep the potatoes.
Leaving the skins on the potatoes (only if you're using the Yukon's), dice them into bite sized pieces. Place them into a pot then fill the pot with COLD water until it covers the potatoes by an inch or so. It's important to use cold water because warm/hot water can beginning "cooking" the potato and then they will come out mushy. With the cold water, the water and the potatoes come up to temperature together, which will result in evenly cooked potatoes. Cook the potatoes until the are fork tender (meaning, that when you pierce them with a fork, they slide off the fork easily) about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Brown each side of the pork for about a minute or until it's golden brown. At this stage, you're not trying to cook it all the way through, you're just going to carmelize the outside. Once all the sides are browned, transfer the pork roll-up to a cookie sheet with a wire rack over it.
Place them in the oven and cook for about 15-18 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees. Allow the pork to rest for about 5 minutes before serving. While the meat is resting, drain the potatoes and add about 1-2 TBS of butter and a heavy splash of chicken stock and begin smashing them with a potato masher. Be careful not to over work the potatoes because they will get gummy. Once smashed, season them with salt, pepper, and about 1 TBS of the parisien blend or chives and stir to combine.
By now, you may have noticed that I'm somewhat of a spice snob...well, maybe snob isn't the right word, I should say I'm spice obsessed. As you know, I absolutely LOVE Penzey's Spice Market. They have such a great selection of unique spices, like the Parisien Bonnes Herbes mix that I used in the potatoes. It's a combination of dill weed, basil, tarragon, chives, chervil (it's an herb closely related to parsley) and white pepper. It completely infused the potatoes with a delicate fragrance and flavor. Matt and I both loved the pork roll-ups, too. The pork was a combination of all the great tastes: sweet and fruity, salty and savory and of course, cheesy. This is a simple recipe with big flavors and I really hope you try it!
**I apologize for the bad pictures. I had to resort to taking the pictures on my phone when I discovered that my camera battery had to be charged.
No comments:
Post a Comment