Roast Loin of Pork with Peaches

Last Sunday was a very exciting night for all Game of Thrones fans out there. It was the night we had been waiting an entire year for. We were finally going to learn the fate of our beloved Jon Snow. So of course this night had to be celebrated properly, we had a mild Game of Thrones party. My sister-in-law came over with her boyfriend for dinner and the much anticipated premiere. Because of this, I decided I wanted to make something that would look Game of Thrones-y and rustic. I thought that a roast loin of pork, complete with bones and all looked appropriate. And of course, plenty of red wine.

Pork is one of those things that I always enjoy but don't experiment too much with, plus I am the only one in our house who eats it. I am an avid pork chop maker, and I recently learned how to make an AMAZING pulled pork using my crock pot, but my pork cooking skills don't go far beyond that. So because of this, I put all of my trust into Jamie Oliver and followed his directions precisely. Fans of Jamie all know that he is a big fan of not only making flavorful butters, but of putting said butters under the skin of whatever meat he is cooking. That is exactly what this recipe called for as well. Softened butter which has been flavored with pepper and lots of thyme, and then placed underneath the skin and between the bones of the pork, along with sliced peaches. Sounds a bit odd, I know. But at this point, most of Jamie Oliver's recipes have been pretty odd, and they have all come out rather delicious. Once it was cooked, the peaches no longer tasted like peaches, they took on an interesting combination flavor of peach and pork.

The last time we had my sister-in-law over for dinner, I made Jamie's Parmesan & Truffle mashed potatoes and an artichoke side dish. Since the main course was new for me and my wife had been asking for those potatoes again nonstop, I figured I would make side dishes that I knew were a hit. This time I made much more though. Jamie's recipe is pretty simple. Potatoes, butter, Parmesan cheese and truffle oil. All to taste. Although the flavor is amazing, they are a bit dry for my liking, so I decided to add butter and quite a bit of half-and-half. I probably would've added cream, but I didn't have it in the fridge.

Entire meal -- pork, potatoes & artichokes

This artichoke recipe I went with was the first one I made when I started this project, Pan-Cooked Artichokes with Lemon, Thyme & Garlic. I think that the lemon, butter and garlic combination is always the way to go with artichokes. I decided to make more of these as well, since they were also such a big hit last time, and because I am known for messing up an artichoke or two.

Let's talk about that for a minute. I am absolutely in love with this recipe! It is probably one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted, and I have been pretty much obsessed with artichokes recently. However, the preparation of these artichokes is absolutely ridiculous. Jamie insists that the more you do it, the easier it will become. Well I have said this before, and I'm going to say it again, I call bulls***! Not only is it terribly hard, but I really believe that it's a waste as well. After cutting off all of the outer leaves, and scraping out all of the fuzzy bit inside, all you're left with is the heart. I knew that it supposed to be the best part of an artichoke, but it's not the only part of the vegetable. I have to be doing this wrong.  The coloring seems to finally be in my favor, but the result looks nothing like the picture in the cookbook. 

End result