Pork, Sweet Potato & Smoky Red Enchilada Sauce

Smoky, sweet and salty, this is a twist on the delectable Texas style spud, featuring sweet potato, grilled pork and a rich and red enchilada type sauce, topped with queso fresco and cilantro. The sauce is involved and requires dried chiles, so consider the shortcut recipe or buying a pre-made enchilada sauce. Skip the meat for a vegetarian version & add your own favorite toppings. We recommend a fattier cut of meat, like coppa steaks, pork shoulder steaks or chops. Shredded/Pulled pork can be used also, and is a great way to take care of leftovers.

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes - carefully poke holes all over the potato with a small knife

2 pork chops/ coppa steaks

Queso fresco / farmer's cheese

handful of cilantro - chopped

Lime

Optional toppings - crema, sour cream, cotija cheese, pickled onions, chopped pineapple

Steps

Potato (should be slightly firm to hold up to the meat and sauce)

Convection roast the sweet potato for 40-50 minutes at 400 degrees (bottom rack) on a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan.

or Bake at 425 for 45-60mins depending on the size of the potato.

Once cooked through- keep warm for serving.

Sauce (details below) (prepare the sauce so it can be used as a quick wet rub for the pork, add salt)

Cook the potato and sauce at the same time.

Pork

Once the sauce is nearing readiness, add a few Tablespoons to both sides of the pork cut, and grill over medium heat- until medium well. (meat should be white and mostly firm).

Allow to cool for 7 minutes, then chop into bite sized squares before serving.

Assembly

Cut a vertical line through the sweet potato and push both ends and peel back the skins to expose a center.

In a bowl, add enough sauce to cover the base (or add sauce after).

Add the pork right on top of the sweet potato center.

Add queso fresco and cilantro over the sweet potato, and top with a squeeze of lime.

Enjoy

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From Scratch Red Smokey Enchilada Salsa (blender required)

2 ripe roma tomatoes - chopped

Tomato puree/crushed tomatoes - 1/4 cup

• if your local tomatoes are sweet enough, skip the canned tomatoes, and if not, only use the canned tomatoes.

1.5 whole large onion - sweet - chopped

4 garlic cloves - whole

1/2 fresh poblano pepper

or 1 serrano and 1 jalapeno for spice

4 dried morita peppers

1 dried pasilla pepper

chicken broth - 1/2 cup

olive oil - 2 Tbsp

ground cumin - 1 Tsp

ground clove - dash

ground cinnamon - dash

optional - bay leaf

sugar -

Salt

optional - chile powder (in case the sauce is under-flavored)

optional - Ground chille powders - like ancho, guajillo, chipotle.

optional - onion powder, garlic powder

Steps

1. Toast the dried chiles by adding them to a dry skillet, set to medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side. Make sure not to burn them. Set aside to cool, then cut off any stems.

2. Set a skillet or stockpot to medium heat, add onion, garlic cloves, tomatoes, fresh peppers and dried peppers, and drizzle olive oil, salt on top and cook for 7 minutes, stirring the ingredients. Avoid burning the garlic

3. Allow the ingredients to cool, then add to a blender, add a 1/4 cup of the chicken broth to help blend. Blend until fully smooth, no chunks.

4. Add the blended ingredients to a stock pot, set to medium heat.

5. Add the rest of the chicken broth and tomato puree, stir.

6. Season with cumin, ground cloves.

7. If too thick, add more chicken broth, or water.

8. If too thin, allow to boil down and reduce, or add pureed tomatoes.

9. After cooking for 10 minutes, then add salt and sugar as needed. The mixture should be sweeter than a chips and salsa to compliment the pork.

10. If it's lacking seasoning, add cumin, onion powder , any ground chiles, or chile powders you have on hand. Note that the flavors will concentrate after the sauce settles a bit.

11. Keep warm for serving.

Shortcut Enchilada Salsa (makes less, and has more spice) (blender required)

1 can of chipotles in adobo sauce - 7oz. (this includes the heat, the peppers, and onion and garlic, cumin). - have a 2nd one on hand in case you need more flavor.

Chicken broth - 1/4 cup

Tomato puree/crushed tomatoes - 1/4 cup

Olive oil - 2 Tbsp

Salt/Sugar as needed

Steps

1. Simply blend all of the ingredients until pureed, add to a stock pot and heat on medium heat for 10 minutes.

2. If the consistency is too thick, add chicken broth, and adjust the salt and sugar as needed

3. If the consistency is too thin, heat /boil to reduce. Another option is to add flour to the cold liquid, then start cooking it down which will thicken the liquid.

4. Keep warm for serving.