Smoked Pork Chops with Fancy Potatoes and Pomegranate

Serve with Hanzell “Sebella” Pinot Noir 2009

This is the ultimate easy meal that looks so fancy. Using pre-smoked pork chops adds a ton of flavor and saves you time and extra steps because they are already fully cooked. To keep in line with our Valentine’s theme, pomegranate seeds add a pop of red color and a punch of sweetness.

Ingredients
1-2 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large shallot, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup half and half
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 smoked pork chops
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Add potatoes and continue to cook for 7-10 minutes until vegetables are fork tender. Drain.  Immediately add potatoes to a ricer and process into a large bowl.  In a seperate bowl do the same with carrots.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon butter to a small skillet. Add shallots and garlic. Cook over medium heat until they are soft and translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add half of the mixture to the riced carrots and half to the riced potatoes.

Add remaining butter and half and half to the potatoes and carrots (splitting the amount between the two). Mix each until combined and fluffy.  Add to a warm oven to keep temperature until you’re ready to serve.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork chops to sear, 4-5 minutes per side until a brown crust forms.  Remove from pan, allow to rest before serving.

Turn off heat on the pan and add 1/4 cup water to deglaze. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan, creating a simple pan sauce.

While the meat is resting, begin to plate your potatoes and carrots. Add two large scoops of potatoes to each serving plate in the center of the plate, diagonal from each other. Add two small scoops of carrot in between the potatoes to create a circle. With a knife, swirl the potatoes and carrots together, making a tie-dyed design.

To plate add pork chop on top of the potatoes. Add 1 tablespoon of the pan sauce and generously sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.