This is what I consider a “fancy” dinner, just because there’s more steps than my normal everyday dinners but the entire meal is really simple. I got the bourbon mashed sweet potatoes and caramelized onion recipe from my cookbook, “From Emeril’s Kitchens” by Emeril Lagasse. The pork chops with root beer glaze is also from his cookbook but I changed it up a bit to fit my budget. The chops and potatoes are actually served at his restaurant, Emeril’s in Orlando and the onions are served at his Delmonico Steakhouse restaurant. The entire meal cost me approximately $10.81 with some great sales. Even if you pay a bit more for the pork chops, this should still come in around $14, which is about $3.50 a person. You would definitely pay more than $14 just for one person for this dinner!
PRICING
Albertsons Grocery Store often has buy one get one free, or even buy one get two free on a lot of their meats. My chops were a buy one get one free deal so I paid about $3.99 for 4 chops. I made my own creole spice blend which cost about $1.02 for the entire amount, which you’ll only use 4 teaspoons of. It’s really flavorful and you can use the spice blend on lots of other proteins. Most of my spices were bought at either the Dollar Tree or Penzeys Spices, which is my absolute favorite place to buy from. Their spices are a lot cheaper than the grocery store and more flavorful. If there’s not a Penzeys near you, you can order online. If you sign up for a catalog, you’ll receive really great coupons occasionally. The root beer I use is a store brand that cost 88 cents for a 2 liter bottle. For the best deal on onions, I always go to King Soopers where they sell 3 pound bags for $1.99 (usually.)
PORK CHOPS WITH ROOT BEER GLAZE
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12-15 minutes PLUS 1 hour for glaze to cook
Serves: 4 for approx. $5.03
Ingredients:
- 2 cups root beer
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 4 boneless pork chops, 1 inch thick
- Creole spice blend
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
Directions:
For the glaze – Combine root beer and stock in medium saucepan. Add brown sugar and stir. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer till reduced to a thick syrup, about 1 cup, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from heat.
Preheat skillet to medium-high heat. Depending on skillet size, you’ll cook 2 or 4 chops at the same time, you don’t want to crowd the pan. If cooking 2, add 2 teaspoons olive oil per batch, 4 teaspoons if cooking all 4 at once. Season each chop on both sides with 1 teaspoon creole blend (recipe below.) Place chops in skillet and cook about 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Drizzle root beer glaze over chops.
CREOLE SEASONING
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together. Keep in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
BOURBON MASHED SWEET POTATOES
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour (for sweet potatoes to bake)
Serves: 4 for approx. $3.89
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes, cleaned
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup bourbon whiskey
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place potatoes on foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until tender and starting to ooze sugary syrup, about 1 hour (depending on size.) Remove from oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.
Cut a slit down each potato and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. Discard skins. Add the cream, bourbon, brown sugar, molasses, and salt. Beat on high-speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Cover to keep warm.
CARAMELIZED ONIONS
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes to an hour
Serves: 4 for approx. $1.89
Ingredients:
- 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
- 2 pounds yellow onions, peeled and very thinly sliced
Directions:
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and caramelized, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from heat and serve hot.
To serve…
Either plate the chop with the glaze drizzled on top, with potatoes and onions on side or plate the potatoes first, lay a chop on top of that with a drizzle of the glaze and layer onions on top.