So we’ve maaaybe been overdoing it with the pork recipes lately, but we wanted to make Real Simple’s Chili-Glazed Pork With Sweet Potato Hash again for two reasons. One, we really like it and haven’t made it in a while. Two, we wanted to give our friends Michael and Eric from http://www.winesbytheflask.com a new wine pairing challenge. Here’s how Tony made this particular dinner.

The first thing I did was to prep the sweet potatoes, shallots and spinach. The last two ingredients were pretty easy – I chopped the shallot very finely and the spinach very roughly. The sweet potatoes weren’t too hard, thanks to our food processor. I thought about using a simple box grater, because it would be easier to clean up, but the food processor is easier and a lot more fun.

I next moved on the prepping the pork. Rather than broiling the pork tenderloin, I decided to roast it, so I preheated the oven to 375 degrees. I put the tenderloin on a half sheet pan lined with foil, rubbed it with olive oil, and seasoned it liberally with salt and pepper. When the oven had heated up, I basted the pork tenderloin with half the maple syrup and put it in the oven. After about 10 minutes, I took the pork out, basted it with the rest of the maple syrup, and put it back in the oven for 10 more minutes.

Next I started the hash. I cooked the shallots in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. I then added the sweet potatoes and cooked them for about 8 minutes. I realized after a few minutes that I would have been better off making this dish in a non-stick skillet, as the sweet potatoes started to stick to the bottom of the Dutch oven. They didn’t burn or anything, but I could have avoiding sticking Kim with a tough clean up job. Once the sweet potatoes were done, I added the spinach to the pot and let that cook for just 2 minutes, unit it had gotten nice and soft.

Michael and Eric suggested a 2012La Vendimia Rioja to pair with this dish. I was a little surprised they went with a red – I was thinking Riesling – but it was a perfect choice, as the Rioja held up well against the spinach and sweet potato, which are strong flavors. They also suggested that La Vendimia would be a nice pairing with turkey, so if you want to give that pairing a try and are in the neighborhood, you should stop by Columbus Wine & Spirits and grab a bottle or two for your Thanksgiving table.