Jerk-spiced Pork Chops with Sweet Potato Wedges and Thyme Salt
Best marinated for a few hours, this jerk spiced pork recipe is spiked with Scotch bonnet chillies. Serve with sweet potato wedges and thyme salt.
Introduction
Any leftover marinade can be stored in the fridge for a few days. You can use it with any grilled meat or fish, and it’s great any time of the year.
Ingredients
| 4 x 150g (5oz) | pork chops |
| Lime wedges, to serve | |
| For the marinade: | |
| 1 tbsp | allspice berries |
| 1 tbsp | black peppercorns |
| ½ tsp | ground cinnamon |
| ½ | nutmeg, freshly grated |
| ¼ bunch | of thyme, leaves picked |
| 5 | spring onions, roughly chopped |
| 3 | garlic cloves, roughly chopped |
| 1 | Scotch bonnet chilli, seeded and roughly chopped |
| 1 tbsp | dark brown sugar |
| 2 tbsp | dark soy sauce |
| Juice of 1 lime | |
| Sea salt | |
| For the roast sweet potatoes: | |
| Vegetable oil, for roasting | |
| 4 | sweet potatoes, cut into eighths |
| 2 tsp | sea salt |
| 5 | thyme sprigs, leaves picked and roughly pounded in a pestle and mortar |
Essential kit
You will need a pestle and mortar and a food processor.
Method
In a pestle and mortar, pound the allspice and the peppercorns to a powder, then add to a food processor along with the cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme, spring onions, garlic and chilli. Blend to a paste, then stir in the sugar, soy sauce and lime juice. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, then add the pork and rub the marinade into the meat along with a little salt. Cover and leave to marinate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
When you are ready to roast the potatoes, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Pour a very generous glug of oil into a shallow baking tray so that it’s about ½cm (¼in) deep, then place in the oven for 5 minutes to heat up. When the oil’s hot, add the sweet potatoes, toss quickly, and roast for 12-15 minutes, until golden and cooked through.
Meanwhile, heat a barbecue or griddle pan so that it’s nice and hot, but not searing. Cook over a medium heat for 4 minutes each side. Leave to rest for a couple of minutes.
Remove the potatoes from the oven, stir 2 teaspoonfuls of salt through the bashed-up thyme and sprinkle over the hot potatoes. Serve with the pork chops, putting a wedge of lime on each plate.
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 4 hours’ marinating. Cook time: 20-25 minutes.
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