I wasn’t quite sure how to serve Cooking Light’s Southwestern Pork and Sweet Potatoes, so I paired it with my old friend rice and some green beans. Next time I’ll be sure to cook the sweet potatoes for the prescribed amount of time. I overcooked them this time, and they turned out a bit mushy.

Even so, the dish was excellent. And this is from someone who doesn’t dig on swine.

Southwestern Pork and Sweet Potatoes
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 garlic cloves
1 small onion, peeled and quartered (about 7 ounces)
1 pickled jalapeño pepper, stemmed
Cooking spray
2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), trimmed
1 (12-ounce) dark Mexican beer (such as Dos Equis Ambar)
1 (4-inch) cinnamon stick
3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato (about 1 pound)
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Place first 6 ingredients in a food processor; process 1 minute or until a thick paste forms.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; cook 4 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove pork from pan.

Add chile mixture to pan; cook 2 minutes or until fragrant, stirring occasionally. Stir in beer, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add pork and cinnamon; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours or until pork is tender.

Remove pork from pan; shred into large pieces with 2 forks. Stir shredded pork and sweet potato into pan; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Discard cinnamon stick. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.