Pork. Sweet Potato. Mushroom.
I’ve always found it funny how we have to scroll through someone’s life story to learn how to bake the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Sorry “Kassidy’s Kitchen” I don’t care about your kids soccer practice.
But yet here I am.
This dish came to me through frustration, and like most things in my life it still feels incomplete. So… feel free to improve this recipe how you see fit.
I have been a cook since 2019 and before then I didn’t really cook much. I didn’t grow up with an attachment or emotional connection to food and I truly never thought that would change. Well it did, but not in some profound “a ha” moment. It was a gradual change. The way I view food in general, my own cooking, and the impact I want to have on the industry is also something that I am still discovering every day.
Thus my frustration in this dish (and most before it) came from my inability and lack of clarity on my own identity during the creative process. I’d love it if I could say: “I'm a southern boy and this is my version of a recipe that has been in my family for generations.” Instead, I feel like I am creating a potato out of thin air and when I instead make a carrot I feel like a joke of a cook and am reminded of my inabilities. All because I don’t like how orange the carrot is… you know what I mean? Maybe not… writing is new to me too.
My perfectionism has snuck up on me like a side effect of a disease. Working in kitchens infected me, and while I feel mostly impervious to the negativity surrounding that environment I have nevertheless picked up some “bad habits” that bleed into my personal life.
I hide them well, but in my private life perfectionism inhibits…. well everything.
I am a work in progress and so is everything I do. Nothing is perfect, but I tell myself it has to be. In an age where looking effortlessly cool and “just being yourself” is praised online I struggle. My “cool” unfortunately takes a great deal of effort and I have no idea who I am.
Nothing feels ready to be shared and I end up spiraling in my head destroying my progress. I compare myself to pop stars many years younger than me, much more successful, and in sometimes completely different fields. I question everything including what I do for a living almost daily.
Time is limited in life and it feels intensified in kitchens with every second counted (literally). This idea of efficiency and using your time wisely has also infected me. I’m a multitasking master, but if I'm not working, already perfect somehow, or just god forbid TIRED I become a failure.
All this to say I'm still learning balance in life and these traits of mine both beneficial and otherwise are part of me. Out of fear for my future, I write this post now. I publish this not having figured it out, or having made the perfect pork dish, merely just as another step towards the elusive “perfect” me.
Now, onward to the next step.
Anyways about the dish…
The Mushrooms are based on a Korean Namul, which in a culinary sense can essentially mean “seasoned vegetables”. Namul is a staple of Korean food culture and plays a key role in banchan which is essentially side dishes that accompany a meal.
Much of the remainder of the dish was influenced by my own past experiences in kitchens and the type of food I prepared daily for years. Although a long process, this dish at its core is simple. With a little planning this can be an impressive meal for a partner or something filling for the family. The recipe below feeds two comfortably.
Pork Chop with a sweet potato mash, glazed mushrooms, scallions, and sesame seeds
Inspiration drawn from Slow Fires by: Justin Smillie and Kitty Greenwald and The Korean Cookbook by: Junghyun Park and Jungyoon Choi
I leave some parts of the recipe vague on purpose to encourage you to get creative! Cooking doesn’t have to be stressful! Have fun!
Recipe:
For the Pork:
2 quarts water
1/2 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons honey
~6 fresh thyme sprigs
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, toasted if you’re feeling crazy
1/2 lemon, sliced into thin rounds
2 ~1 1/2 inch thick bone in pork chops, preferably T-bone
2 tablespoons your favorite spice blend (or make your own)
For the Sweet Potato Mash (makes 1 quart):
~4 large sweet potatoes (975 g) peeled and cut into rough chunks to speed up cooking
215 g whole milk
2 tablespoons butter
salt and black pepper to taste
For the Mushrooms:
9oz (250 g) mushrooms (I recommend a mix of some kind)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
1 teaspoon gochujang
1 tablespoon minced scallion (plus more cut 1 inch long strands for garnish!)
1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds
salt to tate
Process:
This is a multi-day process. You may make the components in any order you’d like.
Pork:
In a deep container whisk together the salt, honey, and water until the salt dissolves. Gently press/rub thyme and add to brine along with the black peppercorn and lemon slices. Submerge the pork and transfer to fridge for 24 hours.
Remove pork from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle your spice blend of choice all over pork and massage it into the meat. Place pork on a cooling rack set over a sheet tray in the fridge for 4-12 hours.
Remove pork from fridge and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour to temper.
When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375°F.
Heat large pan (I used stainless steel but cast iron also works) over medium-high heat. Gently rub pork with teaspoon oil. When pan is ripping hot, add pork and sear ~3 minutes each side. Transfer pan to oven and cook to your desired doneness (I did about 5 minutes flipping once halfway through)
Let pork rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Sweet Potato:
Heat large pot that can fit all your sweet potatoes with water. Add your sweet potatoes once you finish chopping them. Cook until EXTREMELY tender ~40 minutes. Test them by poking them with a fork, there should be no resistance when done.
Heat your milk just until warm. We want to keep the potatoes hot while they mix.
If you have a stand mixer then add the potatoes and butter and beat them together while slowly pouring in your milk. (Be careful of the splash!)
If not then whisk together by hand adding milk bit by bit until fully combined.
Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Pass potatoes through the finest sieve you own to achieve a silky smooth texture. (I did this 3 times but do what feels right to you.)
This makes ~1 quart sweet potato mash. The rest keeps well in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Mushroom:
Trim your mushrooms to look “cute” removing any excess stem or dirt.
In a bowl add soy sauce, sesame oil, gochujang, and salt (to taste) and combine until uniform. Add mushrooms, gently mix, and let marinate for ~10 minutes.
In medium frying pan heat the cooking oil over medium heat. Add your scallions and stir fry for about 30 seconds. Add your marinated mushrooms and all the liquid they were in. Stir fry until cooked and sauce has reduced slightly, ~3 minutes.
Remove from heat and reserve.
Plating:
Slice pork.
Place your mash and create a divot for your mushrooms to sit in. Add mushrooms. Add sliced pork. Use any remaining sauce from the mushrooms to garnish the plate. Add sliced scallion on top as well as sesame seeds for additional garnish and enjoy!
I made a video to go with this recipe so feel free to watch for clarification :)
Please reach out with any questions about the dish or concerns for my well being.
