Below you’ll find recipes on how to make an amazing meal, inspired by my trip to the Houston restaurant Dish Society. Pork Chops, Southern Collard Greens, and Savory Sweet Potatoes! Yum!
Back in December of 2019, my business partner Margarey and her husband, and me and Jen, all went to Houston to ring in 2020. While we were there, we went to eat at Dish Society, and I ordered the below meal. It was such an incredible meal, and I’ve wanted to cook it myself ever since.
I recently got inspired to go ahead and do the dang thing, and the results were everything I had hoped they would be — delicious food, enjoyable time with my kids in the kitchen, and amazing leftovers!
Please note: Collard greens take forever. I had to quickly come up with a workaround, and just boiled the crap out of them before cooking them with the onions and bacon.
Coffee Crusted Pork Chops
Equipment
- Cast iron pan or grill
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp ground coffee decaf is fine
- 1 Tbsp salt coarse salt is great
- 1 Tbsp light brown sugar
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper or less, to taste
- ½ tsp granulated onion or onion powder
- ½ tsp granulated garlic or garlic powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 8 pork chops
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the coffee, salt, sugar, cayenne, granulated onion, granulated garlic, and cinnamon.2 Tbsp ground coffee, 1 Tbsp salt, 1 Tbsp light brown sugar, ½ tsp cayenne pepper, ½ tsp granulated onion, ½ tsp granulated garlic, ½ tsp cinnamon
- Sprinkle the pork chops on both sides with the rub mixture, being certain to really rub it into the pork chops. Use all of the spice rub so there’s none leftover.8 pork chops
- Place the chops on the grill or in a cast iron pan and let them cook, without nudging or moving or otherwise touching them, until well browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Flip the pork chops and cook until browned and cooked to an internal temperature of 150°F (65°C), 4 to 5 minutes more.
- Transfer the chops to a platter and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Southern Style Collard Greens
Equipment
- Cast iron pan or nonstick pan
- Large boiling pot
Ingredients
- 32 oz Collard greens triple washed and cut
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 onion white or yellow
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes or less depending on preference
- 2-3 cloves fresh garlic
- 1 Tbsp vinegar
Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4-5 sweet potatoes , large (1.25 lb each)
- 2 tsp salt
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ⅓ cup finely sliced green onion, mostly green parts
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 3 tbsp butter
- black pepper
Instructions
- Peel and cut into 1" cubes. Place the cubed sweet potatoes in a large saucepan or Dutch oven and add enough water to cover by about 1″. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender (in other words, it’s easy to slide a fork in and out), about 9 to 12 minutes.orBake whole potatoes in the oven at 425° for 40 minutes, then peel.4-5 sweet potatoes
- Drain (if cooked in water) and return the potatoes to the pot. Mash the sweet potatoes to the desired consistency.
- Promptly add the green onion and parsley. Add the garlic, and stir to combine. Then stir in the sour cream, all of the butter, and the salt. Season to taste with additional salt (I usually add another ¼ to ½ teaspoon) and freshly ground black pepper.2 tsp salt, ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley, ⅓ cup finely sliced green onion, mostly green parts, 1 garlic clove, ¼ cup sour cream, 3 tbsp butter, black pepper
- Serve promptly. Leftovers will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for 3 to 4 days.