Sticky Pork Baguettes

Here's a meal that I discovered this spring.  I came across The Londoner via some scrumptious brownies and discovered this recipe for Sticky Pork Baguettes.  They looked tasty in the photos and I resolved to make them soon after, with the delicious results proving that they have already become a regular feature on my dinner plates.  After making it a couple of times, I've tweaked a few things, and am going to carry on experimenting as an excuse to eat these more.

Right now, my boyfriend is up visiting as I've been in foreign climes for the summer, so I have been plotting some amazing culinary gems for our reunion.  Plus, I haven't been able to cook for 3 months, so I need to get back into practice!

Epic sandwiches are usually good for my favourite test subject and he had thoroughly enjoyed these the last time I made them.

Ingredients:

French baton
Roasted garlic sauce
Lemon juice
Honey
Oil
Salt and pepper
Apple and herb stuffing
Pork steaks (I'd say two per person, which will leave some leftovers)
Salad leaves
Apple sauce
Butter

Since I'm still fighting off jet lag and getting back into the swing of cooking, I don't have any fresh garlic in at the moment.  And, less surprisingly, I substituted fresh lemon for juice because I already had juice and I'm cheap.  I prefer the apple stuffing (though my boyfriend finds the double apple a bit much without mustard, so go by your own personal taste in this).  In future, I would probably go for different bread as the hard baton is a little much.  Next time I'll perhaps try a ciabatta (because I will take any excuse I can get to eat ciabatta!).

The how:

Mix up a couple of tablespoons of honey with a liberal dash of the garlic sauce, a liberal dash of the lemon juice and a liberal dash of oil.  Add seasoning.
Grab a pastry brush and slather HALF of this tasty mixture on top of the pork steaks, then bung under the grill.


Once that's done, add some boiling water to the stuffing mix, mix in a little casserole dish (no need to dirty a bowl) and put it in the bottom if you have a combo grill/oven like mine, or put it in the oven if you don't.

Keep an eye on both stuffing and pork to see how brown they're getting.  I never remember to time things to be honest with you.  Once they're cooking nicely, prepare your bread with some butter, salad and LOTS of apple sauce.  Believe it or not, this recipe was the first time I'd ever had apple sauce, and now I'm hooked on the stuff!

My boyfriend decided to add some mustard at this stage to shake things up but the verdict was it didn't really do too much.



Turn the pork steaks over once they are starting to brown up.  Marvel at the pretty grill lines while you slather the remaining half of the mixture over the top of them.  Put them back in and wait  for pork and stuffing to look brown and ready.



Scoop some stuffing on to your waiting sandwich, and then slice your pork (I always cut up the bit without the fat and then eat the remainder later/the next morning).  Finish putting your sandwich together and enjoy!

Warning: These are very difficult to eat with dignity due to escaping bits of stuffing and general sticky fingers. Possibly not for fancy dinner parties, but if you want a great sweet tasting eat with some properly impressive pork, go right ahead!