“If you want a subject, look to pork.”  

– Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

I have been trying to prepare my food in advance. On Saturdays, Sundays and/or Mondays, I tend to do a ton of cooking (vegetables, salads, soups and curries) to get me through the week. However, the very first week I tried this I had a huge appetite. I had demolished all my tuna for the week by Monday (I made it Sunday night!) and all my veggies by Wednesday. This was annoying because I ate out on Tuesday and I’d made 5 days worth of food. I wish I could say that I only ate healthy that entire week but unfortunately I also supplemented every little gap with something sweet like cake and chocolate! So, come Thursday, I needed to cook something else. I had some pork in the freezer which I’d defrosted the night before. A glance around the kitchen, and next thing I knew I had created a lovely, simple midweek meal. I liked it so much that I made it again two days later for my friend, Becky (shout out to Becky – she edits all my recipes!). I think it will definitely become a staple going forward!

Roasted Pork chops and Sweet Potato

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 Pork Chops
• 6 Sweet Potatoes (smallish), chopped into chunks
• 2 Onions, sliced thickly
• 2½ tbsp Olive Oil
• ½ tsp Sage,* dried
• ½ tsp Rosemary,* dried
• ½ tsp Parsley,* dried
• ½ tsp Thyme,* dried
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220° C**
2. Put the potatoes and onions and into a bowl.
3. Add half the herbs, 2 tablespoons of oil and a dash of salt and pepper to the bowl and mix until everything is coated.***
4. Transfer to a baking tray and put in the oven.
5. Meanwhile, rub the remaining oil on the pork chops and then sprinkle the remaining herbs along with some pepper and salt over both sides. Make sure the oily and herb-y goodness is all over those chops.
6. Once the potatoes and onions have been in the oven for ten minutes, remove from the oven.
7. Turn the vegetables and place the pork chops on top of the vegetables.
8. Return to the oven and cook for 30 minutes***. Turn the vegetables and pork chops every ten minutes until they are cooked through. The onions should be nicely browned and the potatoes soft and slightly browned.

Tips

Serve with a salad and/or grilled courgette/zucchini.

*If you have access to fresh herbs, use those instead and just triple the amount.

**When mixing the oil and herbs with the vegetables or potatoes, I always use my hands, as I find it coats everything better than when I use a spoon.

***Depending on the thickness of your chops, and whether or not they are on the bone, you may need a longer or shorter cooking time. Just make sure you don’t try them out.