Great ingredients often lead to some of the simplest recipes.
We had the good fortune of being able to acquire some amazing maple syrup recently. Thanks to Connie and the great folks at Hartman Reserve, we were able to utilize a great seasonal local product. With just a few ounces of maple syrup, we were able to create an amazing, simple dish with some heritage pork tenderloin and roasted sweet potatoes. By balancing the sweetness with some stone ground mustard, we were able to extract the earthy flavors only great maple can express.
When available, we love the sweet potatoes from Yellow Table Farm. We prefer a heritage pork that is more red when cooked to an ideal medium. Marks Family Purebreds has great pork, as does Beelers. A great stone ground mustard balances bitterness and acidity with the sweetness of the maple, and rounds out the savoriness of the roasted pork. The sweet potato was roasted and squeezed to remove from its skin, then mashed with Hansen’s butter, a small amount of kosher salt and a drizzle of Maple.
We combined mustard and maple at a 2/1 ratio so the sweetness wouldn’t overpower the subtle complexity of the maple and the pork.
For our sauce we blended:
- 2 tbsp stone ground mustard
- 1 tbsp Hartman reserve Maple syrup
- Pinch of kosher salt
This is about as easy as it gets. Great ingredients often don’t demand much in terms of preparation. Try this combination and we promise you will appreciate the simple complexity that can come from the best ingredients around us. We look forward to creating a very special dish next week at Concept Kitchen to celebrate the remaining few ounces of Hartman Maple, so stay tuned.
Clint Goodman
Goodman Hospitality