maple glazed roasted sweet potatoes with butterflied pork steak and polenta

I saw the sweet potatoes at the farmers market on Saturday. They were a dollar a pound and that means two or three per dollar. I cook one per person...so that's what 30 cents? I thought they would make a nice fall dinner with all this rain and dampness in the air. The pork was on sale (about $1 per chop) and I always keep the corn grits in my years food storage locker. As always, I try to keep the entire meal under $3.00 per person.

for the sweet potatoes...

ingredients...

1/4 c real maple syrup

1/4 c olive oil

Combine maple syrup and oil and brush on sweet potatoes which have been quartered lengthwise and placed on a parchment lined baking pan..

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes until golden brown.

Baste them with a bit more of the syrup glaze once or twice while cooking.

Nice if served with sour cream and brown sugar topping.

for the pork steaks...

I butterflied a thicker chop. Oil and season both sides.

Heat a grill pan over high heat. Brush the pan with some olive oil to prevent sticking and put a few sage leaves in the oil if you like. It adds a nice savory complement to the maple syrup.

Place pork in pan and sear on each side for 2 minutes.

Brush on some of the maple glaze from the sweet potatoes and sear an additional 2 minutes on each side. You may want to change direction in the pan so that the grill marks are at 90 degrees to the first set.

for the polenta...

1 1/2 c water ( I tried this with broth but it was too too salty)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup coarse corn grits (polenta)

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese for topping

Bring the water and salt to a boil in a sauce pan. Gradually stir in the corn grits. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. It will thicken as it cooks. If it gets too thick add a bit of water.

This is a very easy meal to prepare. Once you get the sweet potatoes in the oven, you can start the polenta and then the pork. When the timer goes ding...it's dinner!