Grilled Stuffed Pork Loin with Fig & Olives

I was in the mood for a lamb dish I made for a dinner party a couple of months ago but when I went to the store and found the boneless leg of lamb was $36.00 and the pork loin was only $6.00 I opted for the more economical option and had no regrets at all.

The sweet figs and briny olives are the perfect combination for the mild pork. My friend Lou said of this dish "I cook a lot of pork, I eat a lot of pork, I love pork, and this is one of the best pork dishes I have ever had."

I hope you like it. It is quick, simple, and delicious.

First, I made a paste with dried figs, kalamata olives, garlic,

thyme, lemon, and fresh black pepper.

I then butterflied the pork, opened it like a book and

pounded it to a uniform thickness.

I spread the tasty paste on one side of the pork and
topped with pinenuts and arugula

I carefully rolled the pork, tied it off then coated it with
olive oil, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.

A few minutes on the grill and this delicious dish was ready.

RECIPE

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried mission figs stems removed and halved
  
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced thyme
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper separated
  
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1 cup arugula
• 2 pork loins
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Directions

This technique was inspired by an article I read in Cooks Illustrated. While I changed up the paste ingredients - rubbing the pork loin with brown sugar and cooking on the cool side of the grill ensured I had a tender and moist pork loin.

• In the bowl of a food processor combine the figs, olives, garlic, thyme, and lemon zest and pulse until combined. Add fresh ground pepper to taste.

• Lengthwise with a large knife cut the pork loins open like a book and flatten. Cover with plastic wrap and pound to an even 1/4 inch thickness. Divide the paste evenly between the two pork loins covering only about one half of the pork loin and leaving a margin around the edges.

• Top with toasted pine nuts and arugula. Carefully roll beginning with the paste side. Tie with butcher's string and coat with olive oil then. Combine the brown sugar, salt, and remaining pepper and coat the pork loins.

• Meanwhile - heat the grill. Cook the pork loins on the cool side of the grill for about 24 minutes rotating every six minutes so every side gets even caramelized. Remove, tent with foil for 5-10 minutes to rest. Slice and serve.

I served this beautiful pork on top of arugula lightly dressed in olive oil, lemon, kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper and a delicious pinot noir I picked up while at the Oregon Truffle Festival. It was delicious. I hope you enjoy.

Happy Cooking and Remember

Take Time to Enjoy a
Little Gourmet Everyday!

Fantasy or Reality: Cold Oil, Potato Batons, and 25 Minutes is All You Need For Crispy Delicious French Fries?

If It's Good Enough for Robuchon and Steingarten

It's Good Enough for Me - but More Importantly if It's Good Enough for the Colonel It's Good Enough for Me

My father is a man of few words unless he's had a second scotch or certain political opinions are involved, but when it comes to really loving food, he doesn't say much.

When we were planning his birthday dinner this year my mom asked "what kind of fries do you want" and he responded "those that Jennifer made last summer are my favorite."

When my dad brings up these fries a year after I made them that means two things, those are some darn good fries and I would be making them again.

So would you believe me if I told you that all I did was throw some cut potatoes and room temperature peanut oil into a dutch oven, turned the burner to high and left them alone for 25 minutes - save one stir about 15 minutes into the cooking.

I don't blame you for your disbelief - I didn't believe it the first time I heard of it - in fact I thought it was crazy talk. Cold oil - the only possible result would be soggy oily fries. One test of this method and I was hooked and appare

ntly so was my dad, the Colonel.

I first came across this technique perusing one of my very favorite cooking resources, Cooks Illustrated (http://www.cooksillustrated.com). A recipe for fries with this method was published in July 2009. I disregarded it initially but was so intrigued I had to look into it further.

With a little research, I learned that this technique is rumored to be how Joël Robuchon cooks fries at home. Yes, the same Joël Robuchon that was named "Chef of the Century" by Gault Millau (A famous french restaurant guide) and who has mentored such accomplished chefs as Eric Ripert and Gordon Ramsey.

Jeffrey Steingarten refers to Robuchon in his book The Man Who Ate Everything when he discusses a similar method for horse fat fries. Steingarten is one of the leading food writers in the world and a frequent judge on Iron Chef.

So, if it's good enough for Robuchon and Steingarten, it should be good enough for me - Right. Last summer I tried this crazy experiment - fries in a pot covered with room temp oil - and twenty five minutes later - perfectly crispy crunchy fries. And the toughest critic of all, the colonel, loves them - how can you go wrong. This recipe is a keeper!! (plus the fries absorb 1/3 less oil then a hot frying method - see explanation below).

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes cut into 1/2 inch batons (or 1 potato per serving)
• Peanut Oil (enough to cover potatoes in dutch oven or stock pot)
• 1/4 cup Bacon Fat (totally optional but totally yummy)
• Kosher Salt

Directions

Slice potatoes into 1/4 inch Batons (detailed instructions below). Place fries in a dutch oven and add bacon fat and enough oil to cover fries - then turn heat to high. After five minutes, fries should be at a rolling boil. Let fries continue to cook. After about 15 minutes stir to loosen fries from the bottom and break up clumps. After an additional ten minutes, or when fries are at desired crispiness, remove from oil and drain on paper towel covered sheet pan. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Serve immediately. It is truly that simple.

Step - by - Step Instructions with Pictures

Many recipes out there for cold oil fries use russet potatoes and peel and rinse them before cooking. Reviews on these recipes are mixed and results seem to be inconsistent - I personally have not tried this method with russet potatoes.

The Cooks Illustrated recipe suggests using Yukon Gold Potatoes which have a thinner skin and don't need to be peeled and a lower starch content so the rinsing step isn't required. Two steps removed - I'm all for that! CI also adds a bit of bacon fat - they had me at bacon - and with such great results with the gold potatoes I don't feel compelled to try any other potato (however I would like to try these with goose or duck fat one day).

Square off potato by cutting a 1/4-inch-thick slice from each of the 4 long sides.

Cut potato lengthwise into 1/4-inch planks.

Stack 3 to 4 planks and cut into 1/4-inch batons. Repeat with remaining planks.

Place fries in large stock pot or dutch oven.

Pour in enough oil to cover the fries. (This is also where I poured in the bacon fat)

Turn burner to high. Fries will come to a rolling boll in 3-5 minutes. Resist the temptation to stir them - let 'em be.

After 15 minutes gently stir the fries with tongs or a slotted spoon to loosen fries from the bottom and break up clumps of fries. There may be a couple stuck to the bottom, don't worry too much about getting every single fry.

Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until fries are golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined sheet pan and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Now I won't go so far as to say these are healthy fries because they are after all fried - but the science editors at Cooks Illustrated established that they are indeed healthier then the double fried method. They found that the cold-start spuds contained about one third less fat than spuds deep-fried twice: 13 versus 20 percent. They explain:

Fries absorb oil two ways. As the potatoes cook, they lose moisture near their surface, which is replaced by oil. Then, as they cool after being removed from the hot grease, oil from their exterior gets pulled in. Because our cold-start method cooks the fries more gently, less moisture is lost (but enough so the fries stay crisp) and less oil is absorbed during frying. Plus, this approach exposes the spuds to just one cool-down, versus the two cooling-off periods of the classic method, so less oil gets absorbed after cooking as well.

So while these are certainly not guilt free fries, they are less guilty fries and any amount of healthier is something to be happy about - especially when it involves these easy and delicious fries. I hope you try this recipe - let me know how you like them.

Happy Cooking and

Remember Take Time to Enjoy

a Little Gourmet Everyday!!