pork au poivre

Today, I am making a pork spin-off of a traditional French dish: steak au poivre (pepper steak). True steak au poivre is a staple of French bistros, and involves a thick-cut NY strip steak or a filet mignon heavily seasoned in coarse ground pepper with a creamy cognac sauce. I was watching Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" feature his restaurants, the Les Halles bistro in NYC. My version uses a bone-in pork chop because they are cheap and are basically a culinary blank palette- you can do almost anything with it. The result is a blend of flavors: the saltiness and black-pepper heat from the pork chops balance the fruity and slightly sweet cream sauce. 

Like a t-bone, this cut of pork chop offers a great blend of really tender and really tasty parts of the pig. Notice a good amount of fat along the side- this adds flavor and keeps the pork moist

In all honesty, I bought my chops as part of a sale-priced value pack so they aren't cut super thick like the type of meat usually used for steak au poivre. That's ok for me because you have to cook pork all the way through, unlike steak. You can use thick cut pork chops, but just make sure its cooked completely. Anywho- on to the recipe!

Pork au poivre with roasted garlic potatoes

Ingredients:

For the potatoes:

• 2 medium Potatoes, your favorite variety, cubed (rinsed and/or scrubbed, skins on)
• 4 garlic cloves (papery wrapper still on, trust me)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• Coarse ground black pepper
• Fresh thyme, rosemary (optional)

For the pork and pan sauce:

• Pork chops, one per person
• Olive oil
• Coarse ground black pepper
• Kosher salt
• Shallots or onions, diced (I used red onions, but you can use yellow or white but probably not Vidalia)
• Heavy cream
• Cognac (if you aren't a frequent sipper of the "yac" then you can get a few of those mini-bottles from the liquor store)

I used a bottle of Remy Martin VSOP that we had around the house

Directions

• Prepare the potatoes in advance by tossing the garlic cloves and cubed potatoes in olive oil in a large piece of aluminum foil (If the potatoes aren't coated, they will stick to the foil). Leaving the garlic in the paper helps them to roast and develop a really nice sweetness (and you can easily peel the paper off when its cooked). 

The pouch- before cooking

• Season the garlic and potatoes with salt and pepper.
• Toss in your favorite fresh herb if you want. This part is just another slight flavor enhancer. The real star of this dish is the pork.
• Fold the foil to make a pouch for the potatoes to steam in and bake the pouch around 400 degrees until the potatoes have softened all the way through. If you want, you can just roast them on the foil, not in a pouch, at a lower temperature. This will give you a drier, crispier potato with more caramelization. It's your choice.

The pouch after cooking

Roasted garlic - that dark brown color is what you should be shooting for

• Sauté the onions or shallots in a pan with olive oil and a little salt n pepa on medium heat until they get soft and semi-translucent.
• Season the pork chops with salt and lots of pepper (see the picture).
• Cook the pork chops on another pan on medium high for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown. If you chose the thick cut pork chops, I would leave them on the counter for 20mins to warm up to room temp a little before cooking them and/or finish the seared chops in a warm oven for a few minutes to make sure they are done.
• Turn the heat off the chops when they are done, leave them in the pan.
• Pour a healthy double shot of cognac into the pan with the onions and stir. Let the alcohol cook off for a few seconds.
• Add a little pour of heavy cream into the cognac and onions. The color you are looking for is a light brown (see the picture). 
• Stir and adjust any seasoning (salt and/or pepper). 

At this point you can either toss the pork chops into the pan with the sauce or you can pour the sauce directly on the chops. Garnish your prized pork with some of those roasted garlic-fragrant potatoes. 

A note on drinks - Rosé:

My drinking preferences change with the seasons. In the summer, I enjoy a little dry, chilled rosé. Yeah it's pink, so what? Europeans drink rosé throughout the summer. This stuff isn't sweet like Franzia or André blush. It has subtle flavors that range from cherry and strawberry to pomegranate. It's crisp, clean, and got a little more body than a sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio and can hold up to meatier dishes.

Sol Angélys - Tavel, France

To pare with my French-inspired pork au poivre, I am drinking a rosé from Tavel, France- one of the most famous cities for making rosé. I snagged this bottle after a recommendation from my local wine store proprietor for $12. Any guys who feel emasculated by drinking a pink wine can do a few pushups after dinner while watching the Spike channel.