45 Minute Meal -- Really: Pork Marsala with Roasted Potatoes

I want to like 30 minute meals but I don't. I don't like cooking with crappy canned and processed food. I also don't like being duped into recipes that promise quick cooking time...as long as you have done all your prep work beforehand....that is the whole point...if I had time to dice carrots, I wouldn't need your damn 30 minute recipe.

So I have set about trying to create and document my own creations, recipe adaptations, and ideas for those of us who work and need to create good food sometime before 11 pm. One of my best (only?) skills is time management and that is something that I feel like I can contribute to parts of the recipe world. Good time management and organization is really the key to cooking great meals quickly -- after all, that's how our favorite restaurants get things out the door in an efficient manner. This is a meat and potatoes starter...and my first stab at writing a really detailed recipe, so if you see room for improvement, please let me know.

Pork Marsala with Roasted Red Potatoes -- 45 minutes

Task 1: Prepare (5 minutes) and Roast Potatoes (40 minutes)
Items Needed:
1 lb red potatoes
1 Tb fresh thyme or herb of choice(I simply run my fingers down the thyme twig in the opposite direction of the leaves) Adjust quantity as desired
1/4 c olive oil
Kosher Salt and Pepper


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Scrub and dry potatoes
3. Cut potatoes in half onto cooking sheet (I like to roast on a 'jelly roll' or high sided pan)
4. Drizzle 1/4 c olive oil over the potatoes. Sprinkle with heavy pinch of kosher salt , 20 twists of pepper, and recently liberated TB of thyme.
5. Mix potatoes with bare hands (or gloves) until potatoes are reasonably covered with oil and seasonings
6. Rinse Hands
7. Place potatoes in oven, set timer to 40 minutes.

Task 2. Prepare (10 minutes) and cook Pork Marsala
Items Needed:
1/4 c flour
1 tsp salt
10 twists pepper
1 tsp paprika
Around 1 lb pork loin
2 Tb olive oil
1 package pre-sliced mushrooms (buy whole if you have an extra 5 minutes)
1 bunch scallions
1 Tb Mustard
1/2 c Marsala
1/2 c chicken stock

1. Get a bowl and stir together 1/4 c flour, 1 tsp salt, 10 twists pepper, and 1 tsp paprika
2. Take your pork tenderloin, rinse, and pat dry. Cut tenderloin into 6 medallions.
3. Wash hands
4. Get a large skillet. If you are skilled at meat and heat, use non stick because the deglazing process will yeild a much richer result. If not, teflon up.
5. Put 2 Tb olive oil in skillet and set to medium high heat
6. Take pork medallions and dip each into the flour mixture, pressing lightly to coat both sides and edges. Once you are finished dipping all 6 and rinsing your hands again, the oil should be ready.
7. Saute flour coated medallions in pan for about 5 minutes on each side. Watch your heat carefully and adjust heat/oil as needed for your range, however, don't move them around too much or they won't brown well.
8. Meanwhile, use the 10 minute saute time to rinse and dice up those scallions.

Interlude: At this point you will be about 20 minutes into things. Take 5 minutes and pull your intrepid potatoes from the oven and give them a stir or if you're neurotic like me, flip each one over for maximum browning.

9. Depending on the thickness of your medallions and how rare you like your pork, pull the medallions from the pan, put on a plate, and cover with foil. You can a. stick them in the oven with the potatoes to finish for 5 mintues, or simply set aside to rest.

10. Introduce 8 oz pre-sliced mushrooms and bunch of diced scallions to the hot oil in skillet (which is now empty of pork). Use moisture of vegetables to scrape up brown bits in pan for about 5 minutes (mushrooms should be well browned).

11. Add 1 TB of mustard and stir until vegetables are coated. Now deglaze with Marsala first, followed by chicken stock. Keep stirring and adjust heat downward closer to medium. Bring sauce to a simmer and it should thicken nicely.

12. When reduced by about half, re-introduce pork and drippings to the pan of sauce and make sure the pork is coated and warm.

13. About this time, your timer should go off and you should rescue your potatoes from the oven.

14. Plate and eat (in time for bed).

Holiday Premieres...Seattle Four Seasons & ART Restaurant

Tis the season and all that so an industrious group of pioneers (ok just three of us) set out all the way across the street to try the new Four Seasons restaurant for lunch. All of the reviews that I have seen thus far have been for dinner and so I was really curious about the lunch experience which was quite a bit different.

The first thing that G, C, and I noticed was that the space was nothing like what we expected -- nothing like a typical Four Seasons. The space during the day is spectacularly open, large, and so bright that you hardly notice the pulsating light blocks surrounding the counter and bar that seem to have offended several reviewers. The space was also filled with ladies who lunch -- not a plus or a minus, just an observation. G must have been one of the only men in the place. But it WAS filled which is wonderful in these sorrowful times for the restaurant biz.

Onto the food... the gimmick, if you will, at ART is incorporating your own personal artistry into the food. The counter menu invites you to sample raw, cured, or warm items and combine them with a long list of sauces. These items are then served with paintbrushes with which you can apply said sauces. Though this idea seems whimsical and wonderful, the implementation was somehow lacking. Ordering was cumbersome (default suggestions would have been welcome) and service of said items was harried...even though we had a four top for three people, space became limited. G and C both had fancy-pants chicken club sandwiches and I had a 'TV Tray' lunch (above) featuring small portions of protein (seared ahi for me), fries, soup, and dessert on a four spot plate. Our server was sweet, but nervous and my food came out decidedly lukewarm and G & C's plates looked a little empty honestly. Note in the picture that the restaurant was using crinkle cups by Robert Brandt which really is art.

We'll be back, I'm sure. The kinks in service timing and coreography will be worked out and perhaps my confidence with the paintbrushes will be bolstered somehow. It seems like an even better place for a glass of wine in the evening. And then there's one last part of the whole experience -- stopping by Fran's Chocolates in the lobby for a little dessert on the way back to the office. I had a mocha and one of C's hazlenut crunch truffles and a wonderful time.