Wednesday's Dinner

Tonight we decided to break out our new panini press/grill to make dinner. So, we made grilled pork chops with smashed potatoes and grilled zucchini.

I started with the smashed potatoes. I was inspired by a recipe by Giada de Laurentiis, but I didn't want to go to the grocery store to get specific ingredients so I just used what I had in the pantry. I boiled red potatoes for about 20 minutes on the stove. Then, I "smashed" them using a glass. Instead of frying them in a pan, I decided to bake them in the oven to make them crispy. So, I took the smashed potatoes and placed them on a baking sheet. I drizzled them in a mixture of olive oil, garlic powder, and Italian spices. After baking on high heat for about 10 minutes, I switched the oven to broil and browned the top of the smashed potatoes. Then, I flipped the potatoes with a spatula and broiled them for a few more minutes.

Before cooking, I marinated the pork chops in a tomato, basil and garlic marinade made with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I used thin cuts of pork chops and this was good because they didn't take forever to cook on the grill. I cooked them for about 5 minutes on each side until they had carmelized grill marks and they were done on the inside. I also made grilled zucchini that was seasoned with garlic, spices and olive oil, simple flavors to compliment the rest of the food.

I think it all came out pretty well. The potatoes were an interesting experience. I used red potatoes that were pretty big, and it was hard to smash them thin enough without them breaking apart. Next time I'll use smaller potatoes, which should hold up better in the smashing process.