Dinner Tonight: Quick Seared Pork with Potatoes

5/19/2013

No, really, says Linda Hoffman of Perrysburg. This recipe for Quick Seared Pork with Potatoes is not as complicated as it looks. It has just three main steps, she says, and you can use the time between each step to prep for the next one.

Quick Seared Pork with Potatoes

1 pork loin, 12-14 ounces

3-4 tablespoons dry rub, see cook’s note

2-3 medium potatoes, peeled

1-2 tablespoons canola oil

1 medium onion, cut into ½-inch dice

½ cup white wine, broth, or water

Cook’s note: Ms. Hoffman recommends coffee or a Mexican rub.

Mentally divide the loin into thirds. At one of the ⅓ marks, cut most of the way through the meat. At the other ⅓ mark, slice most of the way from the bottom up. Pound meat between sheets of waxed paper to a uniform thickness of ⅜ inch, keeping the meat in one piece.

Put potatoes in a bowl and add ¼ cup water. Cover bowl and microwave 2-3 minutes until cooked slightly. Drain. When cool enough to touch, dice potatoes into ½-inch cubes.

Heat oil over medium-high heat and sauté onions until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon, and cook potatoes in the hot oil in the pan until lightly browned and thoroughly cooked. Remove potatoes and add 1 more tablespoon oil to the pan if needed. Add meat, sprinkle pan with dry rub, and cook until meat is seared. Remove meat and return onions to the pan, sautéing and browning them slightly more. Slice meat into thin strips while the onions cook.

Deglaze pan with wine, broth, or water, using wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits stuck to the pan. Add meat strips to onions and cook until pork is fully cooked, 3-5 minutes. Return browned potatoes to pan, adjusting with another sprinkle of dry rub to taste.

Yield: 3-4 servings

— Linda Hoffman

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