I recently had the pleasure of a mind-blowing long weekend in Amsterdam with friends. While I was there, my eyes were opened to many strange and shocking things, the most innocent of these being what I discovered in a coffee shop. No, not that coffee shop, but an actual Starbucks.

Alongside the sugar and sweetener offered for you to add to your coffee, there were also sachets of honey! Oh, how the Dutch live! Here in England, you’re lucky if that’s offered free in a hotel!! Naturally, I stuffed a fistful straight into my handbag with neither hesitation nor logic, and took it away with me.

A few days after returning home, I discovered these delights were still floating around in the vortex of my handbag. By coincidence, I also had a couple of pork steaks to cook, but wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with them. And so, Honey-baked Pork Steak was born!

I have also recently been inspired by some Spanish ways of cooking- namely the common use of raw tomato and garlic, particularly in a new favourite of mine called Salmorejo. This played some small inspiration on the salad that accompanied these tasty steaks. A fine combination indeed!

Ingredients

• Four pork chops or pork steaks
• Salt
• 4 (or more!) table spoons of honey
• 4 (or more!) table spoons of brown sugar
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 red onionAnd for the salad…
• Spinach leaves
• Garlic (one clove will be fine)
• Tomatoes
• Olive oil

Need to recover from Amsterdam? Cook this.

1. Pre-heat oven to 180

2. Pre-heat a dry frying pan to a medium/high heat. Prepare your pork steaks by rubbing with oil, salt and pepper. Get plenty of salt on the fat rind! This will help it to crisp up.

3. Prepare your sweet potato- peel and slice into fries.

4. Now put the pork steaks in a frying pan and lightly brown on both sides. While they’re browning (or after, if you’re worried about them burning) combined your honey and sugar in a bowl, then put in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir, then microwave for 30 seconds more. Repeat until the sugar has dissolved and it’s just one naughty liquid.

5. Remove your steaks from the pan, and put to one side. Now cook your sweet potato fries in the same pan for about 5 minutes, ensuring you move them around and cook on all sides.

6. Place your sweet potato fries in a long, oven-proof dish. Pop a peeled red onion in there for extra flavour, then lay your pork steaks on top. This dish needs to be big enough to each steak can lie flat, or at least not over-lap too much.

7. Take your melted SugarHoney combination, and pour half over the pork steaks. Place them in the oven for ten minutes.

8. While that’s cooking, prepare your salad! Place the spinach leaves in a large bowl. Add juicy tomatoes, quarter. Dice up your garlic as finely as you possibly can. Add to the bowl and toss. Add a little olive oil, then toss again. Cover, and leave to sit in the fridge. Those subtle flavours should sink together nicely, creating a surprising amount of POW!

9. Take your pork steaks from the oven, turn, then pour the remaining SugarHoney liquid over the top. Increase the oven to 200, then cook for a further 15 minutes. The fat should caramelise beautifully. Ah Jesus, caramelised fat… Does it get any heathier than this??

10. Serve alongside your sticky sweet potato fries and reassuringly healthy salad. Use the sauce left over in the oven dish to glaze. Enjoy with a tasty beverage!