Mint Meat
Always try out new things. Especially if you can’t die from it.
Since i mostly eat spicy / tomato based dishes and my mom dropped off some Mint, i tried something with it. No preliminary research - where’s the fun in that?
I used the following:
- Mint, full leaves and lots of it
- Some meat, pig
- Potatoes, Onions
I finely chopped the mint and dropped it into rapeseed oil (good for roasting and it’s tasteless) and added some garlic.
Maybe a water based solvent would have been better. Anyway: Wash the Pork with cold water and dry it.
And mix both together!
Neat.
This is the right time to heat the oven to 180°C (356°F, 453.15 K). Grab the potatoes, slice them simply in half (maybe wash them first if needed) and put them on a sheet. Add oil, salt and thyme with a brush.
Put the potatoes in the oven and keep track of the time - they need about 45 minutes.
Cut the onions and sear them in an big pan. I added mint also.
If they are to your liking, make room for the meat. I put the onions in a separate bowl.
Do not move the meat around and make sure the pan is hot - the Maillard reaction will start at 140°C (284°F, 413.15 K) and makes the meat tasty. Too cold a pan and the meat will be bland.
When the meat is done, we switch places with the onions again. To get a Sauce, we mix in some water and starch.
To avoid lumps you could use a blender (other brands are available).
I used a little too much starch, but it’s mostly tasteless… Mix with onions and gravy:
That looks… wrong somehow, doesn’t it? Well, stir!
Better! After it’s gotten hot, it will get thick and you can turn off the heat.
The potatoes should be ready by now.
Those are always good! Put everything together while it’s hot.
Well, the sauce still looks weird, but how does it Taste?
The Pork is alright. No new revelation, but edible. The mint probably needs to be fresh - there is no spike one would expect. Still - there is minty aroma in meat and sauce. Could use something else, it is a bit bland.
Needs work, but it is a nice meal nonetheless.
