Cornmeal Fried Pork Chops And Goat Cheese Smashed Potatoes Recipes

GOAT CHEESE MASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the potatoes, garlic and 1 tablespoon salt in a large pot with enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until very tender.
• Drain the potatoes and garlic and process them together through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade set on top of a bowl. While the potatoes are still hot, stir in the goat cheese, butter, sour cream, half-and-half, 4 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper until smooth.
• Pour the mixture into a 9-by-12-by-2-inch oval baking dish, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the Parmesan on top and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until lightly browned. Serve hot.

CORNMEAL-FRIED PORK CHOPS AND GOAT CHEESE-SMASHED POTATOES RECIPE

Steps:

• Marinate the pork chops: Pound each pork chop (using a meat pounder or, in a pinch, I've also used a cast iron skillet, rather dramatically) between two pieces of plastic wrap to 1/8-inch thick. Place the chops in a container and cover them with the buttermilk. Cover and marinate at least four hours or overnight or in the refrigerator. Prep the smashed potatoes: Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover with water and add 1/4 cup salt. Bring the water to a simmer over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook the potatoes until fork-tender, about 20 minutes for small potatoes or 30 minutes for medium ones; try not to let the water boil. Cook the chops: Heat your oven to 200 degrees. Remove the chops from the buttermilk, discarding it and patting most of the buttermilk off the chops. Season the chops with salt and cracked pepper. Put the cornmeal in a shallow bowl and season it with salt and cayenne pepper. Dredge the chops in the cornmeal, gently shaking off the excess, and put on a large plate. [Brock wants you to cook these in two large cast-iron skillets, using the oil in each only once, discarding it and putting new oil in for the next chop. I used one 12-inch skillet that fit two chops and reused the oil a couple times, but the downside of this is that it will pick up black bits that fall into the oil as it cooks.] Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. When the skillet is hot, add a 1/4-inch of oil to each and heat for 1 minute. Carefully place 2 pork chops in each skillet; do not shake the skillets or touch the chops for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook the chops until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Carefully turn the chops over and cook until golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes more. I found that my chops really wanted to stick on the second side, so slide a thin spatula underneath them to loosen them from the bottom of the pan before transfer the chops to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Discard the oil the skillet if it gets too murky and repeat with remaining chops. Finish the potatoes: When the potatoes are almost cooked, bring the half-and-half to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Drain the potatoes and place them in a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon, carefully smash each potato without breaking it apart. Pour the hot half-and-half over the potatoes; crumble the goat cheese, butter and chives over them then fold it together - I only did this once or twice, preferring to keep as many small pockets of goat cheese throughout as possible. Season with salt, if needed, and white or black pepper. Serve: The potatoes and chops together. Repeat as soon as possible.

CORNBREAD-CRUSTED FRIED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and top with a cooling rack.
• Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops liberally with salt and pepper. Combine the buttermilk and hot sauce in a large mixing bowl. Put the pork chops in the buttermilk mixture, being sure that all 4 are submerged. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, put the cornbread crumbs into a shallow dish.
• Pour the vegetable oil into a large (10-inch) cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pan. Clip a deep-frying thermometer to its side and heat the oil to 350 degrees F.
• Lift a pork chop out of the buttermilk by its top bone using tongs, and allow any excess to drip off. Lightly dredge both sides of the pork chop in the cornbread crumbs. Carefully lower the coated chop into the hot oil. Repeat this process with a second chop. Cook the chops until crispy on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Gently turn the pork chops and fry until golden brown, an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the crispy chops to the prepared cooling rack. Sprinkle the chops with additional salt and transfer to the oven to stay warm while the remaining chops are fried. Repeat this process with the remaining pork chops.
• For the white gravy: Reserve 2 tablespoons of skillet oil for the gravy, then drain the remaining oil from the skillet, being sure to remove any bits of fried cornbread left behind. Add the butter to the skillet, pour in the reserved oil and heat over medium heat until the butter melts. Sprinkle in the flour, whisking, and cook until a smooth paste is formed, about 1 minute. Pour in the milk, whisking continuously. Cook, whisking occasionally, until a thick sauce is formed and the gravy coats the back of a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the hot sauce and season the gravy with salt and pepper as desired.
• Transfer the crispy pork chops to a serving platter. Spoon the white gravy over the chops and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.