The other night I ate a skewered cube of foie gras swathed in cotton candy. If that’s one end of the culinary spectrum, pork chops and apples may be the other. I like both extremes (not to mention the middle ground), but when the evenings turn chilly I lean towards rustic, warm recipes at home. This one shows up on my table in many permutations: sometimes as chops, others as a whole pork tenderloin. It’s tasty, forgiving, and the flavors immediately conjure fall.
Rosemary-Sage Pork Chops with Apples and Onions
Sprinkle kosher salt liberally on 12 pork chops. Refrigerate up to 4 hours, though mine only salted for 2 hours and they were still tender. Pepper them and coat with olive oil, one cup chopped rosemary and sage (thyme would be good, too) and 8 cloves of crushed garlic. Sear over high heat in a large saute pan, 3-4 mins per side. Set the browned chops aside.
Add a dash of olive oil and butter to the pan. I added 1/2 a stick of butter; use your discretion. Add 4 small onions (round slices hold their form better) to the pan and scrape up brown bits from the chops. Cook onions over medium heat till they begin to soften. Add 5 small apples, cut into slices. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar. Cook until apples soften. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside most of the apple and onion mixture into a bowl, leaving a cup or so in the pan.
To the remaining apple and onion mixture, add 2 cups chicken broth and 1 cup white wine. Put the chops back into the pan. It’s okay to stack them. Cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes.
Uncover and plate chops on a serving platter with deep sides, reserving the liquid in the pan. Boil remaining liquid until it thickens. I whisk in 1/4 cup flour at this point to help the thickening.
Pour the sauce over the chops. Heap the apples and onions on top.
