Italian Pork Steaks

It's been a rather lazy Saturday for me, and supper tonight was an unplanned adventure. I scoped out the freezer and pulled out some pork steaks, poked my head outside and nearly lost a contact lens in a wind gust, and decided a stovetop meal was just the thing.

After I thawed the pork, I just did a quick room-temperature marinade and sauteed the steaks, deglazing the pan occasionally with white wine. The pork braised in the pan juices and stayed very tender.

I took some shortcuts with the side dishes. I threw together a caprese pasta salad (just some cooked pasta, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper). I was craving potatoes, and luckily had some leftover mashed potatoes in the fridge. I combined them with herbs and cheese, formed the mixture into patties, coated them in Italian-seasoned bread crumbs, and pan-fried them until they were crunchy on the outside. Yum, yum, yum. They're my new favorite potatoes.

Italian Pork Steaks
Serves 2 humans and 2 hungry puppies

2 pork steaks, about 8 oz. each

Marinade
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped
1 large sprig fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and chopped
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. steak seasoning (preferably Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. olive oil
White wine, for deglazing the pan

1. Place the pork in a dish and sprinkle with half the marinade ingredients. Flip steaks and sprinkle with remaining marinade ingredients.

2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and sear until brown, then flip and sear the other side. Add a few tablespoons of wine to the pan and stir up any bits that are stuck to the pan.

3. Lower the heat to medium and continue cooking the pork until done, about 15 minutes, deglazing the pan a few more times.