Meat and Potatoes

You never have to go with "same old, same old." Even with meat and potatoes. There's always a way to change it up and make it unique. Check out these recipes as proof!

Balsamic Roasted Pork Loin

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons steak seasoning rub (we used Spade-L)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 pounds boneless pork loin roast

Directions:

Dissolve steak seasoning in balsamic vinegar, then stir in olive oil. Place pork into a resealable plastic bag and pour marinade over top. Squeeze out air and seal bag; marinate 2 hours to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place pork into a glass baking dish along with marinade. Bake in preheated oven, basting occasionally, until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, about 1 hour. Let the roast rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Sources: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Melissa S. Recipe found here.

Notes: The sauce is what really makes this pork roast special. Do not skip serving it with your pork! You can even thicken it with a little cornstarch, if you like to make it more of a gravy than just a pan sauce.

Bacon and Maple Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 red onion, thinly sliced
4 oz (1/2 of an 8 oz package) Philadelphia cream cheese, cubed
1 1/4 cups fat-free reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
3 slices fully cooked bacon, chopped
1/4 cup maple-flavored or pancake syrup
2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes (about 6), cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cook onions in large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 3 to 5 minutes, or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Remove onions from skillet.

Add cream cheese, broth, and milk to skillet; cook and stir on medium-low heat 5 minutes, or until cream cheese is melted and mixture is well blended. Remove from heat; stir in bacon and syrup.

Place half the potatoes in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover with layers of onions and shredded cheese. Top with remaining potatoes and cream cheese sauce; cover.

Bake 1 hour 5 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and top is golden brown, uncovering after 50 minutes.

Makes 8 servings of about 1 cup each.

Nutrition information: 240 calories, 11 g fat, 35 mg cholesterol, 260 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 3 g dietary fiber, 9 g sugar, 8 g protein.

Source: Kraftrecipes.com, found here.

Notes: Everyone really liked this, but the guys in our family, particularly, raved about this and went back for seconds, and thirds.