Pan fried pork, onion gravy & roasted rainbow roots with McCain

January is almost drawing to a close and it feels colder by the day to me. The heating is cranked up, Christmas is long gone, the winter woollies are well and truly on and gloves are de rigueur upon setting foot outside. It’s what my late grandmother would have called ‘bracing’. Weather to clear the cobwebs away, weather to demand wellingtons and of course, weather to demand roasted meats and veg.

This is another favourite in our house, a meal to help getting back to normal after the Christmas holidays that bit easier. It’s speedy but feels special and happily uses some gems from my freezer. The roasted rainbow roots combine sweet parsnip, bright earthy beetroot and one of my boy’s favourites, crunchy carrots, all spiked with garlic and rosemary. Last but not least, they’re adorned with @McCainUK’s Sweet Potato Fries which are always a hit with everyone from 1 to 42 in our house.

The pork is juicy and tender, all the more flavoursome from a quick marinade. And oh, the gravy! Onion gravy is always welcome, but when it uses frozen chopped onion rather than requiring tears be shed, it’s even more loved by mums like me. (And dads too I’d have thought?) This recipe is part of the McCain #BacktoNormal campaign; helping us mums and dads get back into the swing of things. Have you seen my top ten tips on this very subject? Have a look here to see. And don’t forget my other recipes in this series: baked tortilla using McCain chips and garlic, lemon and sweet chilli chicken with sweet potato fries.

Pan fried pork, onion gravy & roasted rainbow roots with McCain

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the pork:

• 4 pork chops
• The leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter

For the rainbow roots:

• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin batons
• 2 medium beetroot, peeled and cut into thin batons
• 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into thin batons
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 250g McCain Sweet Potato Fries

For the gravy:

• 25g butter
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 175g frozen diced onion
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 600mls hot beef stock (homemade or made with a stock cube)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Marmite
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 sprig thyme

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C/gas mark 6.

Firstly marinate the pork to gain maximum flavour. This marinade only needs 10 minutes! Place the pork chops in a bag or dish, add the thyme leaves, zest and juice of the lemon, balsamic vinegar, black pepper and 3 tbsp water. Give the meat a stir, tie the bag or cover with clingfilm and refrigerate.

Tip the carrots, beetroot and parsnips into a large roasting tin. Pour over the oil, black pepper, rosemary and garlic.

Give the vegetables a good shake (use your hands if you prefer) and bake for 7 mins before turning the oven up to 220°C/fan 210°C/gas mark 7 and adding the McCain Sweet Potato Fries. Give the vegetables a gentle shake and return to the oven for a further 17 – 20 minutes, turning occasionally.

Melt the oil and butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the pork chops, two at a time so as not to crowd the pan, and fry on each side until well browned. Remove and place in a roasting tray. Bake at the bottom of the oven for 10 – 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the pork. The chops will likely be ready just before the vegetables which is perfect as you can leave them to rest covered with some foil, on top of the oven.

Make the onion gravy by melting the butter and oil in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the onions, stir and fry for 5 minutes until starting to brown. Add the flour and whisk until it bubbles. Cook the flour for 2 minutes then add 200mls of the beef stock. Turn the heat to medium and whisk until smooth, then continue to add the beef stock a little at a time until it’s all in the pan. Add the mustard, Marmite, rosemary and thyme, stir, turn up the heat and leave to bubble away and thicken. (The herbs are for flavour so no need to chop).

Serve the onion gravy (herb sprigs removed) over the chops with the rainbow roots on the side.

NB: If making gravy feels a step too far for a weeknight, then simply fry the onions and add to some gravy made with beef gravy granules. You can stir though some thyme leaves, finely chopped rosemary and mustard for extra flavour.

This post was supported by McCain.

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