Grilled pork chops, roasted broccoli, Egelhoff potatoes

Egelhoff potatoes, you ask? I'll get to those in a minute. 

This menu isn't an all-in-one weeknight wonder. But we can't always eat a one-pot thing every night. But the great thing about this menu is that there is really nothing to clean up even though you have to make 3 separate things. To me, that's huge! One of the reasons for minimal clean up is due to the technique of roasting vegetables. This menu took longer than the 30 minutes I shoot for but not too much longer. It was more like 45 minutes from start to finish. 

Roasting a vegetable is my favorite way to cook a vegetable. Almost all vegetables take well to a little stint in a blistering hot oven. The natural sugars in the vegetable will caramelize, the flavors will concentrate, the exterior will get crispy, and none of the nutrients will dissipate into a cooking liquid if you were boiling or blanching. I use the same technique for most vegetables too. I toss them in olive oil, season them with salt and pepper, and then place them in a single layer on a foil-covered sheet pan. 

I'm sure you've roasted a potato or a parsnip and maybe even some asparagus. Have you ever roasted broccoli? You should. Cut them into long spears, including the stems. In my opinion, the stems have more flavor than the florets. It's a shame to throw them out. The exterior of the stems sometimes get tough so you may want to trim those down first. When you roast broccoli, the stems get tender and the florets get really crispy. I can't guarantee your kids will eat roasted broccoli but it's going to be your best shot! My son actually asked for more! He really enjoyed the crispy, salty florets the most.

I treated the pork chops fairly simply. I coated them in a bit of olive oil and seasoned them with salt, pepper, paprika and a little pinch of brown sugar. The brown sugar really helps to get nice caramelization on the grill. I guess you could call it a rub but I just sprinkled as I went. Just be sure not to overcook pork. You can use an instant read thermometer and pull them when they hit 135° and then let them rest for at least 5 minutes. They will continue to cook and rise a few more degrees. 

Ok, Egelhoff potatoes. This is the way my wife's side of the family cooks potatoes on the grill. I loved this technique the first time I tried it! Basically, you dice the potatoes into small cubes, combine them with minced onions, salt and pepper, dot with butter, wrap in foil and place on the grill. The potatoes steam on the inside while the potatoes in contact with the foil get nicely charred and crispy. I substitute olive oil for butter and occasionally will add another spice or 2 to the mix - smoked paprika, adobo seasoning, etc., but the technique is basically the same. I've used every kind of potato and they work well. This time I used a mix of Yukon Gold and Red Bliss. Russets work fine too.

Who else is grilling these days? Do you have standard sides you make on the grill?

GRILLED PORK CHOPS

Ingredients: pork chops, brown sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Preheat your grill.
2. Coat the chops in a small amount of olive oil.
3. Season the chops liberally with an equal amount of brown sugar, paprika (I like smoked paprika), salt and pepper. You can premix about a teaspoon of each in a bowl to create a rub. Then you can apply the rub all at once.
4. I like to sear my chops on a super hot grill for a couple of minutes on each side to get the grill marks. Then I turn down the grill to low anc cook the chops slowly until they are done. Shoot for about 135° and then let them rest for a few minutes.

ROASTED BROCCOLI

Ingredients: broccoli, olive oil, salt, pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Cut the broccoli into long spears. Do not trim the stems off. You can peel some of the outer layers of the stems if they are really tough.
3. Toss the broccoli spears with olive oil until they are coated.
4. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
5. Lay out all your broccoli on a foil-lined sheet pan.
6. Roast in the oven for 20-40 minutes. You should check to see after 20 minutes to see how tender they are. You can also flip them half-way through if you like.

EGELHOFF POTATOES

Ingredients: 4 medium potatoes, 1 small onion, olive oil, salt, pepper

1. Dice the potatoes into quarter to half inch dice.
2. Mince the onion finely.
3. Mix the potatoes and onions with olive oil until nicely coated.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Lay out a sheet of foil and fold in half. I think the heavy-duty foil works best for this.
6. Unfold the foil and dump the potatoes onto one half. Fold the foil over and seal up the edges by folding them a few times. I like a nice, tight seal so they steam inside. But, honestly, you can wrap them up however you want.
7. Place then on a low-medium hot grill and cook for about 30 minutes. I usually flip half-way through for maximum crispiness!

Comments

[Brandon Young]

I do mushrooms exactlythe same way you described your Egelhoff Potatoes. It works with every kind of 'shroom I've tried. We particularly love baby 'bellas. This method also works well for various types of squash (i.e. yellow summer squash and zucchini).

[Tony Ham]

Brandon, good to know! I'm going to try that with the mushrooms next time. Thanks!

[lonnychu]

Sometimes we microwave the potatoes a little first to help cook faster on the grill. Also lots and lots of grilled asparagus. Just a little olive oil, salt & pepper. When we marinade something with green onions and/or ginger, I grill those also. The slices of ginger turn out to be tasty little condiments.

[Tony Ham]

Lonny, good call on the microwaving of the potatoes. I'm all about saving time. So the ginger gets crispy? Gonna have to try that...

[fiona]

can you roast those potatoes in the oven along with the broccoli? how long wuld they take? thanks

[Tony Ham]

You could roast the potatoes in the foil pouch in the oven but you probably won't get as much caramelization and crispy bits. If you cook it in the oven, I suggest just spreading the potatoes out on an oiled sheet tray and roasting them uncovered. Potatoes that are diced small would probably take about 30-40 minutes...roughly the same time it would take for the broccoli to cook.