Sweet Mustard Pork and Potato Packets. They say good things come in small packages. These tangy, sweet, and smoky pork chop foil packets prove it-- and they’re extremely easy to make, to boot. This post is brought to you by French’s. All opinions expressed are my own.
It’s summertime, and the living is easy, because I’m making use of every single shortcut recipe in the books. No meals with 25 ingredients and just as many pots and pans. We’re talking a whole three months of one pot pastas, sheet pan bakes, and my favorites: foil packet dinners.
Toss ‘em in the oven, throw ‘em on the grill, or get real outdoorsy and cook them over a campfire. You’ll have individual portions of high-flavor, low-effort dinners for everyone. And best of all, by keeping it simple, you’ll have more time to focus on the 3 S’s of summer: sunshine, sea water, and socializing. Actually, can we throw a little sangria in there as well? And sunscreen. Being that I am, perhaps, the palest person to ever venture outdoors, I need to slather that stuff on like it’s a second skin.
Back to that campfire thing for a second, though. This year, a few of us got permits to drive directly onto a nearby beach, which means we can fish and have small bonfires all throughout the day and night. We went out for the first time a couple of weekends ago, and I learned a very important lesson: You will somehow wind up with sand on your burgers when cooking them over a beach fire, no matter how careful you are.
And on your hot dogs.
And your corn on the cob.
So the next weekend, I decided to switch things up. Before leaving for the beach, I sliced up potatoes and tossed them in a bowl with green beans, a light drizzle of oil, minced garlic, and salt and pepper. Then I seasoned a few thick pork chops with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper, brushed them with French’s Classic Yellow Mustard, and pressed dark brown sugar on top. I divided everything into little packages, tucked them into our cooler, and hoped for the best as we headed down the shore.
Just as I’d hoped, cooking everything in foil prevented any sand from spoiling our dinner. And man, was it some good fireside eating. The brown sugar melts as the pork cooks, giving it a sweet, glaze-like exterior, with sharp tanginess from the French’s mustard and smokiness from the paprika all combining together. That flavor runs off in the juices from the pork that help to flavor the beans and the potatoes as well, all in one seriously satisfying packet. Well, eight packets, technically. One for each of us.
And that’s how I became in charge of the food for all of our future beach trips. Good thing the Sweet Mustard Pork and Potato Packets are quick and easy to make, right? I’m going to have them on repeat all summer long.
In fact, I’ve already made them since that day on the beach. I had to take photos to share the recipe with you guys, obviously! I’m also planning to make them again when we grill this weekend for our early Fourth of July celebration. My Omi is coming to visit and it uses most of her favorite ingredients (pork, mustard, and potatoes), so I can’t wait to share it with her and the rest of the family. And I’ll get in some of those 3 (or 4, or 5) summer S’s I mentioned earlier, while I’m at it.
Sweet Mustard Pork and Potato Packets
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound baby potatoes, sliced thin
- ½ pound green beans, trimmed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 4 boneless center-cut pork chops
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- ⅓ cup French’s Classic Yellow Mustard
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- Freshly chopped chives, to garnish
- Lemon wedges, to serve
Instructions
- Tear off 4 12 x 12” pieces of aluminum foil and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss together the sliced potatoes, green beans, garlic, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Divide the mixture evenly in the middle of each foil sheet.
- Season the pork chops all over with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Brush with mustard all over and press the brown sugar on top of the mustard. Place the coated pork chops on the center of the potatoes and green beans on each packet.
- Fold the edges of the foil in and roll the sides tightly to seal, allowing some space for the air to circulate inside of the packets.
- Cook at 400° F until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the pork reaches 145° F, about 18 minutes.* Let sit for 3 minutes, then carefully open and serve with chopped chives and lemon wedges.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 18 mins
Luke says
I feel like this would work well with other combos like salmon with asparagus and something else.
Do you have any other ideas? This technique is amazing and I have been cooking these very often! Would love some varieties!