Roasted Pork Chops with Spiced Apples

Apple season only comes around once per year, and when it does I make sure I stock up. Last weekend at the farmer’s market I was totally overwhelmed by all of the varieties of apples available that I wanted to buy them all. Luckily my farmer’s market is incredibly friendly and they allow me to eat to my hearts content before I make a choice. (I mean, sampling is the point of shopping, is it not?!) So when I was looking for something to do with them my mind immediately went to pork, hence the creation of this Roasted Pork Chops with Spiced Apples.

Apples make a great snack, and they are most certainly delicious in baked goods, but I find they are incredibly tasty in savoury dishes as well. Pork and apple is a classic combination, so this is my twist on an old classic. Apples are often made into apple sauce as a condiment for pork loin or chops, but I wanted to keep it simple and roast the apples in the cooking process to showcase their beauty. To me, eating seasonally is the most delicious way to do it; fresh and simple.

When buying pork, do your best to buy the best quality you can find. In fact, no matter what type of meat you are purchasing it is in your best interest, health-wise and sustainability-wise, to purchase meat from local farms, with ethically raised pastured animals and sustainable farming practices. Do you homework, ask questions shop around and find a local farm if you can. If that option is not available to I encourage your to try an online service like truLOCAL for superior quality products from local farms. You can check out a previous blog post for more information.

Roasted Pork Chops with Spiced Apples

I used cortland apples in my recipe, but you could use any apple variety you like. Try to pick apples that are in season and crisp to ensure that the apples can withstand the cooking temperature in the oven.

Author: Stephanie Kay
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 2 servings 1x
Category: Mains
Cuisine: Paleo, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free

Scale

Ingredients

2 pork chops
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon apple cider or red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic
1 handful fresh sage leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1/8 fresh black pepper
2 apples, cortland, royal gala or fuji
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a bag or container, make the marinade for the pork chops. Combine mustard, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and two sprigs of thyme.
Season the pork chops with sea salt and fresh pepper on both sides. IAdd the pork chops to the marinade and allow to marinade overnight or at least 30 minutes before cooking (if time permits).
While the oven is heating, prepare your apples. Quarter, core and chop apples into small cube as evenly sized as possible. Add the apples to a bowl and toss with cinnamon and leaves of two remaining sprigs of thyme. Set aside.
Remove the pork chops from marinade and press the sage leaves into each side for searing.
In an oven-proof skillet melt butter on medium to high heat, and add pork chops to the pan and sear for 1-2 minutes per side. Just long enough to sear in the flavour.
Add diced apples to the pan, toss gently to coat in any marinade, however it is not needed. They will be softned and cooked in the oven.
Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 10-12 minutes, until cooked through, and apples are tender but still crunchy.
Serve with steamed vegetables and enjoy!