Za’atar Pork Chops, Sweet Potato Purée and Fennel and Apple Salad
By OcadoLife
Published on 10 February 2022
A Middle Eastern marinade is the star of restaurateur and chef Romy Gill’s Za’atar Pork
Chops with Sweet Potato Purée and Fennel and Apple Salad. A mix of sumac, sesame seeds and dried herbs, za’atar lends
these chops a deep savoury flavour that works particularly well with the fresh
and fruity salad, but a baby leaf salad is an extra-simple swap. Time and servings
50 minsTotal time
4Servings
50 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 3 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunky dice
- 4 large garlic cloves, crushed or grated
- 2 tbsp of za’atar
- 1 tsp of ground cumin
- 0.5 tsp of ground turmeric
- 1 tsp of salt
- 50 ml of olive oil, 6 tsp for pork, 4 tsp for salad
- 50 g of natural yoghurt
- 70 ml of cider vinegar
- 0.5 tsp of sea salt
- 1 tsp of caster sugar
- 1 small green chilli, chopped
- 1 tsp of fennel seed, s, crushed
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 fennel bulb, sliced thinly
- 2 granny smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 large handful of dill, chopped
Method
Step 1
Put the pork chops, onions and sweet potatoes into a roasting tin. Combine the garlic, spices, salt, olive oil, yoghurt and vinegar in a small bowl, then rub into the pork chops and veg. Leave to marinate at room temperature for 30 minsStep 2
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Make the salad by whisking together the oil, sea salt, sugar, chilli, fennel seeds and lime juice, then add to a bowl along with the sliced fennel, apples and dill. Stir well to combine and set aside.Step 3
Put the roasting tin with the pork chops and veg into the oven; roast on the middle shelf for 35-40 mins. When the sweet potatoes are tender, remove them and most of the onion from the tin, then switch off the oven and return the pork to keep warm. Transfer the sweet potatoes and onion into a blender, add 50ml hot water and blitz into a purée (or use a stick blender or potato masher to combine).Step 4
To serve, remove the pork chops from the oven and cut into slices. Add a swirl of sweet potato purée to each plate, then top with the slices of pork divided between the plates. Pour over any juices from the tin; scatter over the remaining onion and finish with a grind of black pepper. Serve with the salad.