Pan Roasted Pork Chops in Cider

If you’re like me, you’ll be familiar with the idea that a pig is simply the tastiest of the farmyard animals, and with pretty much every part of a piggy – except the oink – being edible, if you’re able to tuck in, you’re onto a mighty fine winner, without a doubt.

I’m always a fan of pepping up something while keeping it simple, and it does not get much simpler than these pimped-out pork chops, made even better by the fact that they’re essentially a one-pot meal, so they’re light on washing up.

Pan Roasted Pork Chops (serves 4)

Ingredients You Need:

• 4 large (preferably bone-in) pork chops, nice and thick – ask your butcher
• 2 large eating apples, Cox is ideal if you can get them big enough (use 3 if they’re a little smaller)
• 8-10 medium-sized “interesting” potatoes, I like Desiree but any good roaster will do
• 100ml good quality cider (Weston’s Vintage is ideal)
• 20 fresh sage leaves
• 50g lard
• Salt & Pepper

Gear You’ll Need:

• Large pan, hob and oven safe (Le Creuset 30cm shallow casserole or similar)
• Sharp cooks knife
• Peeler
• Mixing bowls

How To Make It:

1. Get your oven on at 200°
2. Pop the pan on the hob on a high gas, put 1/2 the lard in to melt
3. Season the chops and brown well on both sides in the pan
4. Take the chops out and set them aside, keeping them somewhere warm
5. Peel the potatoes and chop into 1″ chunks
6. Get the remainder of the lard in the pan and bring it up to sizzling hot and lob the potatoes in
7. Season the potatoes well, turning them over in the pan to get them coated in the lard
8. Pop the dish into the oven and leave for 20mins
9. Peel, core and slice the apples into 8ths and hold in cold water (to stop browning)
10. After 20mins, take the part-roasted potatoes out of the oven and get ready for action
11. Tear up the sage leaves and toss into the potatoes, turn them over to get the infusion going
12. Sling in the apples and turn over again
13. Lay the chops on the top of the potatoes and apples and return to the oven for 20mins
14. After a further 20mins, take the pan out of the oven, lift out the chops and shove the potatoes and apples into a serving dish
15. Put the pan back on the hob, get the heat going and put the chops in and dowse with the cider
    • be slightly cautious if you’re using high alcohol cider as it might catch!
16. Let the cider reduce to nothing
17. Serve the chops and potatoes
18. Enjoy

WorkTop Tips:

• If I have some kicking around (I do from time to time) I replace the lard with rendered bacon fat – essentially the same thing but a little porkier
• If you like potatoes roasted in the skin then don’t peel ’em!
• Feel free to use more or less sage as you see fit, the same with the apples, if your an apple-a-holic then fill your boots
• I find that the dowse and reduce of the cider imparts a moistness to the chops – I’m sure there’s chemistry in here somewhere

Wine Pairing:

For me, this is a dish that cries out for you to finish the bottle of cider you opened to cook with – don’t fight it!

Enjoy!

Photo by Kenneth Schipper Vera on Unsplash