One Pot Pork Chops & Apples
Growing up, every so often my mom would bring home some lovely thick pork chops and sear them in a pan to serve with applesauce. It was kind of rare for us as kids to have our own piece of meat on a plate, so looking back the rareness probably wasn’t so random. It was likely that they happened to be on sale when she did her grocery shopping! I loved the savory meat slathered with the sweet, slightly tart applesauce and longingly waited for the next time they popped up for dinner. Since I love serving muscle meats like pork chops with a gelatin rich bone broth based sauce to help our bodies utilize the protein and counter the inflammatory properties of meat off the bone. Instead of serving the chops with applesauce, I decided to make a sweet savory gravy with sliced apples and apple cider to bring the same flavors together! The warm gravy poured over top is the perfect counterpart to the pork which can be a bit drier at times. I hope your family loves it!
Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings
1 pound pork chops
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 apple, thinly sliced
1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup apple cider
½ cup half and half
sprigs of thyme and/or rosemary sprigs
Directions:
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. While it’s warming, season the pork chops with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Melt the first tablespoon of butter in the pan. Now, we’ll sear the chops until they are nice and golden on both sides. We don’t need to cook them through here, just get some good color on the outside. Take the chops out and place them on a plate. Add the other tablespoon of butter and let it melt. Sauté the rosemary, sliced shallot, and sliced apple until they are soft and getting some color. Add the apple cider vinegar and it will help you deglaze the pan with all those lovely flavors. Sprinkle the flour over top and give it a stir through. Now pour the chicken broth, apple cider, and half and half over top. Give it all a good stir together. Nestle the pork chops into the sauce and tuck the sprigs of herbs alongside to season the gravy. Put the lid on and simmer on low for another 15 to 20 minutes. You want the internal temperature of the meat to be around 165 degrees F. I use a simple meat thermometer when cooking pork because I find that I often overcook it! I love serving this with mashed potatoes or even just a lovely loaf of bread to help soak up all that gorgeous gravy!
