HICKORY-SMOKED PORK CHOPS WITH BLEU CHEESE MASHED POTATOES AND CARAMELIZED PEARS AND ONION STRAWS

Hickory-smoked Pork Chops with Bleu Cheese Mashed Potatoes and Caramelized Pears and Onion Straws image

Provided by Food Network

Time 3h

Yield 3 servings

Number Of Ingredients 34

Ingredients

2 cups milk
Rosemary sprigs
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt and pepper
Salt and pepper
3 medium pork chops
Yucon Gold,Garlic and Bleu Cheese Mashed Potatoes, recipe follows
Caramelized Pears, recipe follows
Onion Straws, recipe follows
Steamed Baby Portobello Mushroom, recipe follows
Roasted Red Pepper, recipe follows
Yukon gold potatoes, approximately 2 pounds, cubed
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken stock
Bleu cheese, to taste
Salt and pepper
2 pears, sliced
1 cup apple juice concentrate
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup milk
Olive oil, 2 tablespoons
Salt and pepper
1 Vidalia onion, sliced
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 red pepper, whole
Olive oil, for rubbing
1 baby portobello mushroom, whole
1 garlic clove, chopped
Olive oil, for rubbing
Salt and pepper

Steps:

In a medium sized bowl, combine milk, rosemary, garlic and salt and pepper. Place each pork chop in the bowl and allow the meat to marinate for approximately 1/2 hour.
Over an open-flame grill, sear each side of the pork chops until black grill marks form.
Remove the meat from the grill. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and place hickory smoking chips in the bottom of the pan. Cover the chips with a lid, which is slightly smaller than the pan, and then place each pork chop on top of the lid. This will allow the meat to smoke and become infused with the hickory flavor. Smoke the meat until it is fork tender. Serve with potatoes, pears and onion straws. Garnish with red pepper and mushroom strips.
In a large pot, add the potatoes. Cover with water and bring to a rolling boil. Boil the potatoes until they are soft. Drain the water from the pot and place the potatoes in a medium sized bowl. Add all of the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mash together until you reach the desired creaminess. Set aside.
In a medium sized saute pan, combine all of the ingredients over medium heat and saute until the pears soften and the sauce thickens. Set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, combine milk, oil, salt and pepper. Slice an onion into long strips and place them into the milk mixture. Shake off any excess liquid, and then dredge the onion strips in flour. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a medium sized saute pan. Place the dredged onions into the saute pan and cook until they are brown and slightly crispy. Set aside.
Thoroughly clean the skin of the red bell pepper. Rub olive oil lightly over the entire surface of the skin. Place the whole pepper on an open flame and roast it until the skin is blackened. Remove the pepper from the flame and rub the charred skin with a towel. Once the skin is removed, slice the pepper into thin strips and serve with the pork chops.
Thoroughly clean the skin of the baby mushroom. Rub the entire surface generously with garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper, to taste. Place the whole mushroom into a steamer and allow it to steam for approximately 20 minutes, or until tender. Remove the mushroom from the steamer and slice into strips. Serve with the pork chops.