Citrus Spice Pork with Honey Spice Sweet Potatoes

Sunday night I had a girlfriend over to knit, quilt & watch Downton Abbey while my manservant (um, yeah, Matt) prepared a wonderful feast for our dinner. He served us a pork roast that had been brined in a mixture of orange juice & chiles with a side of sweet & spicy mashed sweet potatoes. It was good so, I decided to keep him on a while longer.

It was really amazing how much the flavor from this brine came through in the pork. The chiles give it a smoky, pepper flavor but really no heat. The orange juice adds a wonderful brightness. This might be my favorite of the pork brines Matt has tried so far.

Citrus Spice Pork Brine

1 c orange juice
2 c water
1 heaping T kosher salt
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t ground ancho
1/2 t ground chipotle
1/2 t ground cinnamon

Mix everything together in a microwave safe dish. Microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Enough brine for a 3 pound pork roast

We brined our roast for about 6 hours in the fridge in a plastic bag. Then it was roasted for about 1 1/2 hours. Matt says he's looking forward to doing a pork tenderloin with this same brine & then grilling it this summer.

These sweet potatoes were the perfect side dish with the pork. I know it may seem like sweet potatoes are sweet enough but the honey really balances the little bit of heat from the chipotle.

Honey Spice Sweet Potatoes

3 sweet potatoes
1 oz unsalted butter
1 T honey
1/4 t ground chipotle
salt

Bake or microwave the sweet potatoes until soft. Remove the skins. Put the hot potato meat in a bowl with the butter, honey & chipotle & mash. Season to taste with salt.

3 - 4 servings.

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