Spiced Pork Chop with Sweet Potato Mash - Gordon Ramsay

Gordon Ramsay's Spiced pork chops with crushed sweet potatoes

Ingredients:
For the pork chops:

6 boneless pork loin chops, just under 1/2 lb each 3/4 tsp Hatch red chili powder 1 tsp paprika 3 tbsp olive oil 5-6 thyme sprigs 4 cloves of garlic, chopped (well, put through the garlic press, since I'm lazy like that) 2.5 tsp crushed anise seed (couldn't find star anise, but the internet recommended that 1 crushed star anise == 1/2 tsp crushed anise seed... for future reference, I would reduce/eliminate this, since I'm not a big fan of anise.) pinch of ground allspice 1/4 tsp ground coriander seed (couldn't find whole coriander seed, so gave my best guess of how much to use...this seemed fine, but could possibly go a bit heaver on coriander and a bit lighter on the anise) Salt + Pepper to taste

For the crushed sweet potatoes

3-4 large yams (after much debate, I got yams instead of sweet potatoes, since they looked like what Gordon used in the video, and since the internet said that yams typically sold in stores are actually a type of sweet potato) Chicken stock, enough to cover the yams (I used 1qt. + 1 can, and added the same amount of water) 1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped 2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 4-5 sage leaves, roughly chopped 2-3 tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped Salt + Pepper to taste

 The Recipe: For the pork chops:

 Cut the rind and excess fat off of the pork chops Make the marinade by mixing the chili powder, paprika, salt & pepper, olive oil, thyme, garlic, crushed anise, and coriander seeds in a big bowl. Coat the pork chops in the marinade, and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180˚C (~360˚F) Heat the frying pan with a little bit of olive oil. Add the chops to the hot pan and sear them until golden. Tilt the pan and baste using the drippings if you feel like it. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until the meat is firm when lightly pressed. When cooked, transfer them to a plate and leave them to rest for 10 minutes in a warm place

For the sweet potatoes:

Should be cooked in parallel with the pork. Peel the sweet potatoes, and chop into 1.5 cm cubes Bring a pot of chicken stock to a boil. Once boiling, add the sweet potatoes, and cook them for 7-8 minutes until they're tender (or almost tender... a little bit 'al dente' is ok). Drain and rinse under cold water. Add the shallots and garlic to a pan with hot oil. Sauté until they just start to caramelize, and then add in the sweet potatoes. Season lightly with salt & pepper, and cook for 5-6 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Lightly crush the potatoes with a fork or masher. Stir in the chopped sage leaves and cilantro