Cinnamon Pork with Sweet Potatoes
Hubby had a difficult time finding something Cinnamon-ey to make for our monthly cooking club that wasn’t a dessert. He’s definitely the cooker in our house and I’m the baker. He made this pork and it smelled delicious while it was cooking.
As recommended, we served this over rice. The pork was extremely tender and had subtle tastes of cinnamon. This mean is even better the next day. We ate it for a couple days since it made a decent amount of food and neither of us got sick of it!
Cinnamon Pork with Sweet Potatoes – from The Splendid Table – makes 6-8 servings
2 pounds boneless pork butt or shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and gristle
2-1/2 teaspoons olive or canola oil
Seasonings:
6 whole scallions, ends trimmed, cut into 1-1/2-inch lengths, and smashed lightly with the flat side of a knife
6 cloves garlic, smashed lightly with the flat side of a knife, peeled, and sliced thin
6 slices fresh ginger, about the size of a quarter, smashed lightly with the flat side of a knife
1 teaspoon hot chile paste – we used Garlic Chili Pepper sauce from the Thai section at the store
2 to 3 sticks cinnamon
1 whole star anise, smashed, or 1 teaspoon aniseeds – we used Fennel seeds
Braising Mixture:
4 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine or sake
2 tablespoons sugar
4 sweet potatoes or yams (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons minced scallion greens for garnish
Cut the pork into 1-1/2-inch cubes
Heat the oil until very hot in a 4-quart casserole or a Dutch oven with a lid. Add half the pork pieces. Sear the outside of half the pork over high heat until brown, turning once. Remove and sear the remaining meat. Set aside.
Reheat the pan and oil, add the Seasonings. Stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds, then add the Braising Mixture. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the pork, bring the liquid to a boil, and reduce the heat to low. Let simmer, covered, for 35 to 40 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, stir, cover, and continue cooking for about 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Serve the pork and potatoes atop a bed of blanched or steamed greens, with some of the braising mixture spooned on top and accompanied by steamed rice.
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
Caramelized onions. I would always snarl at them until I actually tried them and realized they are delicious!
Love Fish Taco’s! We like ours with: fish fingers, cabbage and ranch sauce w/ taco seasoning…ummm..
Try the true Mexican way: with shredded, crispy cabbage, it’s so good.
I tried something I thought I wouldn’t like (that’s a very small percentage of the foods in the world!) and I was right, I totally disliked it – and that’s octopus!
Brussel sprouts. I split them in half, and saute them with olive oil, butter, and garlic. They’re my new favorite vegetable, and my wife and I make them once a week.
On a fish taco note, I had always wanted to try them, finally did, and they were terrible. Turns out I tried them at a bad Mexican restaurant, even though the place was always packed. It was sort of a tourist trap, and eventually went out of business. I’d never thought to try them home, that sounds like a great idea.
I just had to comment…I was the same way with fish tacos and then i tried them and LOVED them. I can’t get enough! Glad I’m not the only one
Oh boy fish tacos… when I first heard of them I thought the concept was a terrible idea. I finally let my husband convince me to try them and I of course loved them. Like Nancy said, we eat them the Mexican/Baja way with cabbage. So good!
Now have you tried shrimp tacos?!
I have not tried shrimp tacos. I will have to look into that.
So true!! I always giggle about them too lol. I had this sandwich that sounded so gross I wanted nothing to do with it, then a friend ordered it and made me try it… it was AMAZING!
roasted corn seasoned, mashed and mixed with diced red bell pepper, topped with cheddar, apricotjam and mixed greens, on wheat
The use of sprouts in your tacos is a great idea! I’m going to have to try that!
I’m not a big fan of fish but these look very delicious:) I used to turn my nose up to deep fried pickles but then I finally tried them…they are delicious!!!
I was skeptical of fish tacos until I tried them. Now they are probably one of my top 5 foods. I love mine with cabbage, lime, and pico de gallo
Also used to turned my nose up at fish tacos! Had them again tonight, this time with swordfish nuggets (Hey the bits and pieces were only 4.99 per lb!) DELISH 🙂
Jen, I too was a fish taco “snob” Couldn’t imagine whoever would think to do such a thing. You actually opened my mind up to trying them. I made salmon with taco seasoning ones and we really loved them, thanks to you. I told a friend whose husband goes to Alaska fishing and always brings home lots of salmon and halibut. They are coming over tonight and guess what we are having? SALMON TACOS!! Thanks.
So glad to hear it!