Pork Chops and Sweet potatoe fries

I love french fries.  There's just something about a good french fry well, it can bring tears to your eyes if done right.  When I was kid, my Mom worked a lot.  She had too. Single Mom raising bratty teenagers, she worked two jobs to keep a roof over our head and food on the table.  One of the first things I learned to make myself was to dump a bag of frozen fries on a sheet pan and shove it in the oven.  Viola!  French fries.  Ore Ida's are my favorite.  Bear is a big fan of the Ore Ida spicy curly fries.  They are good.  One thing I never tried to do, was make my own.  I can dice up a potato with some onions and make home fries, bake every which way, boil it and make it a salad.  I've never made my own fries.  But I made my own sweet potato fries.

Sweet potato is a new thing for me.  When I was kid, I would make a face, unless of course, it was covered in marshmallows.  Then I would eat it, but that was usually once a year and they always didn't have that sweet treat on top of them.  One thing you learn is that, yes potatoes are good, but the white ones, you shouldn't eat too much of. The starch and such.  The first time I ever ate a sweet potato french fry was at a local bar called O'Donoghue's.  (RIP Mr. O'D!  We'll miss you!).  They made them and I surprised myself when I realized I liked them.

This realization is what led me to try yet another Cooking Light magazine recipe.  Pork chops are usually on sale quite a bit and it's always nice to have something besides chicken at the dinner table.  Always a plus in my house, both Bear and The Boy liked it.  I love it when it all comes together like that.

SPICE-RUBBED PORK CHOPS WITH SWEET POTATO FRIES

**This is for 2 people, of course, adjust according to how many you're making dinner for that evening.**

2 - 4 oz bonless pork loin chops (about 1/4" thick) - I used bone in and it came out really nice.
1/4 tsp. garlic salt - I used garlic powder
1/4 tsp. paprika - the original calls for coriander but I took CL's substitute advice and used paprika instead
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil

Heat your non-stick skillet pan then add oil.  For WW folks, you may want to give the pan a spray too.  Doesn't add to the point value and if your non-stick is getting like mine, having the spray on the pan helps out. Add the spices to your mortar and pestle bowl and grind together.  If you don't have one, get one!  Nah, just kidding, if you don't have one, combine them in a bowl and combine together with a whisk.  Sprinkle just one side of the chop with the spice rub.  One the oil is heated up add the chops, spice side down.  Cook for 2 minutes then flip over and cook for another 4 minutes.  The brown sugar is going to caramelize a bit, but don't worry about that adds to the flavor I think.

Very quick and very easy to do.  However, I think this should be done AFTER you start the sweet potatoes.  To make the sweet potato fries is as follows:

1 very large sweet potato
brown sugar
paprika

black pepper

garlic powder

cinnamon (yes you read that right)

ginger

The highlighted spices are my own additions.  Came out tasty.

Peel and cut sweet potato into fries, either skinny fries or larger like steak fries. Whatever style you prefer.  Combine the spice mix in a bowl and then add the cut potatoes.  Mix them all up, get them covered.  OR you can do this, which I did, on a sheet pan, lay the potatoes out. Sprinkle the spice mix over them and then add olive oil and with CLEAN HANDS (to quote Ina Garten "Clean hands.  A cooks best tool") mix them all up.  Bake the fries at 500 degrees for about 20 minutes, turning once after 9 minutes.  I can't stress how important it is to flip the fries.  I didn't the first time and they weren't cooked even.  So make sure you do it.

This can also be served with Lemon green beans.  Just steam up some green beans.  I used the bagged kind, because they aren't really in season right now (Winter).  Steam them up and toss with some olive oil and lemon rind.  Very light and refreshing and goes well with the above dinner.

The whole meal, including the green beans for one serving, which is 1 chop, depending on the size of the potato wedges, 3-4 of them, and green beans, it's all 9 points!  That's pretty average for a dinner WW style, at least when I make them.