Looking at the cover, I thought, "There's Rocco, looking yummy, standing in a doorway, with a bag of groceries in one arm. If he looks that delicious, the recipes must be divine."
So I cracked it open and decided "Pork Chops with Potatoes" was a good place to start. There are minimal ingredients. A total cook/prep time of less than 30 minutes. What could be easier? Well, Mr. Dispirito...I am not an award winning chef (at least to my knowledge) and I cannot prep two green bell peppers and 4 Idaho potatoes as quickly as your projection stated. Maybe after a month or so of recipe scavenging...but not today.
After about 20 minutes of prep, then came the cooking part. I was meant to cook the pork chops about 2 minutes on either side before transferring to a rimmed baking sheet while the peppers and potatoes cooked in the chops' juices. I let the veggies cook for about 3 minutes (as directed) until just soft, then returned the chops back to the pan to finish up the cooking in a 500 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.
30 minutes later my potatoes were still not done, and mine and my son's patience were gone. Thankfully, when I realized that those darn taters were taking so long, I removed the pork chops before they dried out. I added them again toward the last few minutes to warm them back up before serving.
All in all, the flavors were wonderful. The fresh rosemary really ties it all together. BUT next time that I allow the Charm o' Rocco to persuade me, I'll make sure I have a larger block of time to guarantee raw potatoes aren't on the menu.
I think I like where you are going with this. Good luck and don't keep us waiting.
ReplyDelete