Pork Chops w/ Kidney Bean Risotto & Pommes Frites

It was offal week at school.  People either hate it or love it.  I happen to be of the latter population.

There's hardly anything I won't eat.  I'm of the belief that you don't know you don't like something unless you give it a try.  More often than not, once I try something, I like it.

My offal assignment this week was kidneys.  My offal experiences have only really consisted of sweet breads (LOVE!) and livers.  Kidneys, not so much.  But like I said, I'm willing to give anything a try at least once.  They're not something I want to run out and buy boatloads of, but I'm glad I tried them.

So I thought I'd do a recipe with offal this week, but turns out I couldn't find any within short notice!  Most butcher shops around here didn't carry them just on a whim and the items needed to be special ordered.  So I thought I'd do something with a little more mass appeal and use kidney beans.  Totally not offal, but hey, it tasted pretty damn good.

Ingredients:

2 bone-in pork chops
2 tablespoons whole grain dijon mustard
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine
2-3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup mirepoix (small diced shallots, carrots, and celery)
14 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
salt and pepper, to taste

2 russet potatoes, finely julienned on a mandolin
peanut oil, for frying

Preheat oven to 425 F.

The risotto will take the longest, so it's best to start off with it.  I used to be under the impression that your stock had to be hot while doing it, but in learning how to make risotto at school and at the restaurant, we always use room temperature/cold stock.  It always turns out well, so why dirty another pot if you don't have to?

In a large high sided skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil under medium heat.  Stir in your rice and coat well with the oil.  You're just trying to coat the rice with the oil, not trying to toast it, so make sure you do this step quickly.  Deglaze the pan with the white wine and reduce until almost dry.  Add in enough chicken stock to just barely cover the rice and reduce your heat to a slow simmer.  You may need more stock than listed above (it just depends on your heat during the cooking process).  You'll want to stir the rice very frequently because it's the agitation of the starches in the rice that causes the risotto to become thick and creamy.  Don't add more liquid until the previous amount is almost gone.  You'll want to repeat the process until your rice is fully cooked and looks creamy. (The whole process should take about 30 minutes or so - patience is a virtue)

While you're waiting for your rice to cook, you can saute your vegetables.  Heat a medium saute pan under medium high heat and add your remaining tablespoon of olive oil.  Add your mirepoix, thyme, and garlic.  Saute until mirepoix starts to soften.  Stir in kidney beans and cook just until warmed.  Season mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.

When your risotto is done, stir in your mirepoix and mix well.  Finish with cream cheese, parmesan, and butter until rich and creamy.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Keep warm until needed.

Season both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper.  Spread about 1 tablespoon of mustard on each pork chop.  Place breadcrumbs on flat surface and press both sides of pork chops into breading to coat.

Heat a large oven-proof skillet under medium high heat and add your olive oil.  Add pork chops and sear until golden brown.  Flip over and transfer pan to oven to continue cooking until medium or done to your likeness.  Let rest for about 3-5 minutes.

Heat a deep fryer or heavy pot with oil to about 325 F.  Blanch potatoes for about 1 minute in oil and remove.  Let drain for about another minute.  Drop back into the oil to cook until golden brown and crispy.  Drain on paper towel-lined plate and season with salt, to taste.

To put together dish, place a decent amount of risotto in the center of the plate.  Place pork chop over top and garnish with a good amount of pomme frites.  Easy enough, right?  Restaurant worthy in $30 or less!

 

Have a great week guys!