Meat mains
Smoked cheddar topped pork
Braising veg is a great way to hold in flavour, and works particularly well with carrots. If you don't have three saucepans, use a deep frying pan for the carrots – but keep a good eye on the liquid. It will evaporate faster, and you may need to add a little more water as they cook. If any element of this dish is ready before the others (we all chop and cook at different rates!), don't panic; they can all be gently reheated to serve.
Ingredients
- 500g potatoes
- Salt and pepper
- 400g carrots
- 1 tsp bouillon powder
- 2 apples
- 50g butter
- 1 tsp light brown sugar
- 4 boneless pork loin slices
- Oil for cooking
- 100g smoked Cheddar
- 1 tbsp coarse grain mustard - add to taste
- A splash of milk (optional)
Method
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Step 1
Peel and chop the potatoes into 2-3cm dice. Put them in a pan, cover with cold water and add a good pinch of salt. Put them on the hob to heat. Once boiling, they'll take approx. 10-12 mins to cook until soft. Drain once cooked.
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Step 2
Peel the carrots and chop at an angle into 2-3cm pieces. Put the carrots in another pan, one with a lid. Add the bouillon and enough water to just cover the carrots. Bring to a low boil, cover and leave to simmer for approx. 15-20 mins, depending how large you've chopped them. Keep an eye on the pan and stir now and then.
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Step 3
Put your grill on a medium-high heat. Into a small saucepan, peel and coarsely grate the apples, discarding the cores. Add ¼ of the butter, the sugar and 2 tbsp water. Gently heat the apples until they collapse into a rough sauce. Add a little more water if the sauce starts to look too dry.
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Step 4
Meanwhile, lay a piece of foil on your grill tray. Rub the pork with a little oil and season. Lay the pork on the foil. Grill for 2 mins. Coarsely grate the smoked Cheddar while they grill.
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Step 5
Turn the pork over. Grill for a further 1-2 mins or so, until cooked through. Spoon the apple sauce over each pork steak, then top with the smoked Cheddar. Grill until the smoked Cheddar is golden and melted.
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Step 6
Mash the cooked and drained potatoes with the mustard, some salt and pepper and remaining butter (you could add a splash of milk too).
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Step 7
Check the carrots are tender (drain off any excess liquid). Serve the pork with the potato mash and carrots, drizzling any juices from the grill pan over the pork.