Pork Tenderloin or Pan Fried Pork Chop with Maque Choux and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

It is still Mardi Gras week. So I wanted to make another very typical New Orleans dish, Corn Maque Choux. For those of you who have never eaten at a New Orleans restaurant, this is a side dish that consists of corn cooked with peppers and onions and Louisiana spices and then finished with a little bit of cream. It is a much snazzier take on regular corn, and very tasty. It happens to go really well with pork, and then I added another side of mashed sweet potatoes to complete the meal. I made this with both a pork tenderloin and a pork chop, but the best by far was the chop. It was one of those moments where you take a bite and literally say "holy shit that is delicious!" I hope you like all of these as much as we did. Start by making the cajun spice mix below- it keeps forever and I use it often. Every one of these recipes has some in it, and you'll be surprised at its versatility.

Cajun Spice Mix

Mix together the following in a jar:

-5 tbs paprika

-1 tbs ground black pepper

-1 tbs ground white pepper

-1 tbs cayenne pepper

-1 tbs dried thyme

-2 tbs garlic powder

-1 tbs dried oregano

-1 tsp salt

-1 tsp chile powder

-1 tsp onion powder

Pork Chops/ Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

-2-3 pork chops or 1 pork tenderloin

-1 tablespoon cajun spice

-1 tablespoon brown sugar

-3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 400.

-Rub 1 tbs of olive oil on the pork chops or tenderloin.

-Mix the brown sugar and spice mix together. Rub into the meat.

-If you are making tenderloin, bake at 400 for about 20 minutes or until the pork reaches a temp of at least 170 degrees. If you are making pork chops, heat 2 tbs olive oil in a skillet and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Then transfer to oven for about 5 minutes until pork is 165-170 degrees.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

-2 sweet potatoes or yams

-2 tbs butter

-1 tbs brown sugar

-1 tbs cajun spice mix

Directions:

-Peel and chop sweet potatoes into 2 inch cubes. Boil for 15 min or until potatoes are soft.

-Drain potatoes and mash with the butter, brown sugar, and spice mix.

Corn Maque Choux

Ingredients:

-2 tbs butter

-2 cans of corn, or 2 cups fresh

-1 bell pepper (any color you prefer- I like orange/red), chopped

-1 yellow onion, chopped

-1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced

-2 tbs cajun spice mix

-1/4 cup heavy cream

-salt to taste

Directions:

-Melt butter in a saucepan.

-Add corn, bell pepper, onion, jalapeno, and spice mix and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

-Add cream and cook for another 3-5 minutes. 

-Salt to taste and serve.