Pork chops with mango salad and baked sweet potato

When I was going over our meal selection for this week, I was hoping Monday would be a warm day so I could compliment this yummy combo with a splash of semillon blanc and I was not disappointed. This is a great family meal because while you pop your sweet potato into a very hot oven and forget about it for 40 minutes, you can whip up your salad and then start cooking the chops all in the time it takes for your potato to be ready, OR you can be like me and cook the sweet potato the night before while you have the oven on for another reason completely.
I find the best way to cook sweet potato is to just leave it be. I rub a little oil on the skin to get the temperature rocking but then leave it to it's own devices. The end result- a caramelised spud still wrapped in it's skin and ready to be eaten. When left to cool like this, it is the easiest way to peel, it will last an extra few days in the fridge and can go straight into any salad without wilting the leaves and full of flavour.

Mangos are in full glory here at the moment, so picking up a juicy one for the salad is like buying an apple. For something a little different, I grab my peeler and peel off layers of cucumber, just like ribbons. It makes the salad look a little more exciting and the kids love to see a salad looking like spaghetti....anything to get Alex eating salads really.
Well that is about it, the sweetness of the potato and mango are complimented with the lime juice I use in the dressing and the lovely garlic and rosemary flavour I rubbed all over the chops tie it all together, creating an interesting meal with a common cut of meat.