Accounting for Taste

Thin center-cut pork chops, quick-cooking cabbage and a simple sauce make this German-style dish a great option for busy weeknights. This one-skillet recipe is keto-friendly, too. BUT, we used two thick, bone-in chops and added some cooked egg noodles (thus eliminating the keto-friendly advantage).

In addition, we added sliced garlic and increased the amount of onion from 1/2 to a whole onion. Because our chops were bone-in and thicker, we did have to increase the cooking time slightly. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature which should come to 150°. The temp will rise slightly while resting under foil.

In the end, the meal was fantastic and loved the fact that we had leftovers!

Pork Chops and Cabbage with Mustard Cream Sauce

Servings: 4
Time: 40 min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

4 thin center-cut boneless pork chops (about 1 pound total)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 head green cabbage, roughly chopped (about 1 pound)
1 Tbsp. butter
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. white pepper, or to taste
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions

Pat the pork chops dry and season with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil over until shimmering. Add the chops and cook until browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn the chops and cook until browned on the other side, about 3 minutes. (If the chops are browning too quickly, lower the heat.) Transfer the chops to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
Add the onion to the skillet and stir, cooking until the onion is softened and nearly translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the cabbage and cook until the cabbage is tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the butter, if using, and toss to coat the cabbage. (If the chops are lean, butter will enhance the flavor.) Transfer the cabbage mixture to a serving platter and cover to keep warm.
Lower the heat to medium. Add the cream and mustard to the skillet and stir until the mustard is fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and white pepper; stir to combine.
Add the chops back to the skillet. Lowe the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes, basting the chops with the sauce.
Place the chops on top of the cabbage on the serving platter. Drizzle the chops and cabbage with the remaining sauce, garnish with the parsley and serve.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe compliments of Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post

The sizzling arrival of cast-iron plates of marinated steakhouse steak tips is often the most exciting part about them, so says Cook’s Country. In this version of Grilled Steakhouse Steak Tips, they replace the typical sickly sweet marinade culprits—ketchup, barbeque sauce, and cola—with a mixture of soy sauce, oil, dark brown sugar, and tomato paste for enhanced meaty flavor and maximum char. WOW, great results!

Typically, if you can even find it (hello Costco), flap meat is sold as whole steaks, strips, and pieces. For even pieces, buy a whole steak of uniform size and cut it up yourself. We’ve only found it at Costco sold in thick strips, but that is perfect for this method. And instead of cutting it down into 2 1/2-inch pieces we kept them to about 5 inch lengths.

This is not your grandma’s steak and potatoes recipe. The marinade has a hint of sweetness from the brown sugar but otherwise is a great companion to beefy flap meat. If you get the opportunity, try to marinate for the total 24 hours, but a minimum of 2 hours will provide enough flavor. If, like us, you are medium-rare fans, take the steaks off when they reach 125-130° (they may have to come off at separate times). Cover with foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes.

As an accompaniment, we made these fabulous potatoes which The Hubs found in a video on Tik Tok, thus we named them “Tik Tok Taters”. We made a major alteration to the directions however because after initially boiling the potatoes for the 20-25 minutes as indicated, they were beyond fork tender and falling apart. So we shortened the boiling time in this phase to 12-15 minutes, which is shown in the directions below.

In this photo op, I inadvertently staged “light” brown sugar when the recipe calls for “dark” brown.

Grilled Steakhouse Steak Tips

Servings: 4-6
Time: 1 hr + marinating time
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

⅓ cup soy sauce
⅓ cup vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. paprika
½ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 (2 1/2-pound) beef flap meat

Directions

Whisk soy sauce, oil, sugar, garlic, tomato paste, paprika, pepper, and cayenne together in bowl until sugar dissolves; transfer to zipper-lock bag.
Pat beef dry with paper towels. Prick beef all over with fork and cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces. Add meat to bag with soy mixture and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours, turning occasionally.
For a gas grill, turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes.
Clean and oil cooking grate. Cook beef (covered if using gas) until charred and registers 125 to 130 degrees (for medium-rare), 7 to 8 minutes.
Transfer meat to platter, tent loosely with foil, and rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Tik Tok Taters

Tik Tok Taters

Servings: 4-6
Time: 1 hr, 10 min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

5 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut in half lengthwise, then cut each piece into 3 chunks
1/4 cup Kosher salt + 1 Tbsp., divided
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. Extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Directions

Boil peeled russet potatoes in water with 1/4 cup salt and the baking soda for 12-15 minutes, until just barely fork tender on the outer edges.
Drain potatoes and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon each salt and rosemary.
Preheat oven to 400° convection (or 425° regular) with empty roasting pan inside.
When hot, add more olive oil (about 1/4 cup) to coat the bottom, then add drained and seasoned potatoes.
Return pan to oven and roast 35-40 minutes, carefully turning potatoes every 10-12 minutes.

http://www.lynnandruss.com