I have to say that one of the Toddster's favourite meals has to be a good old pork chop. Nice and thick, with a good round of fat along one edge. I like to slash the fat at 1/2 inch intervals. This helps the chops to lay nice and flat in the skillet when I cook them, and it gets all crispy and brown too. I confess that I am not adverse to treating myself to a small bit of that succulent crispness . . . I know, naughty girl.
I think the most delicious and succulent pork chops are the old fashioned bone in rib cut. You get the tender loin meat along with some tasty rib bits that are just yum yum yum!
I happened to be in the grocery store the other day picking up a rib roast for work, when I noticed the meatman cutting up a rack of pork into chops and they were just so darned good looking I had to pick up a couple for Todd and myself.
You know how it goes . . .
Anyways, these were absolutely wonderful. I cooked them up yesterday, all panfried and nicely browned, with crispy bits of fat clinging to the edges, and then finally roasted with some lightly sauteed apples laid out on top and crumbly bits of stilton.
Fabulous, darlings . . . just fabulous. A real marriage made in heaven . . .
*Perfect Pork Chops with Apples, Sage and Stilton*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
This is simple but impressive and gives you perfectly cooked pork chops every time. I like to use a good porkchop, like a rack pork chop. Delicious!
4 8-ounce pork chops, preferably free range
sea salt (I like to use smoked)
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored and sliced into thick wedges
1 TBS butter
fresh sage leaves
3 1/2 ounces of good Stilton cheese, crumbled
Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Slash the pork fat along the edge of the chops all the way to the meat. Fan open. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add some olive oil and allow it to heat while you season your chops well on both sides. Cook the chops in the hot oil until they are golden brown on both sides and the fat is crispy, some 3 to 4 minutes. I always hold them up with a pair of tongs fat side down to make sure the fat gets really crispy. Remove them to a shallow metal baking dish. Add the butter to the pan and then add the apples. Fry gently until golden, but still fairly solid. Fan these out on top of each pork chop. Scatter some sage leaves over top. Place into the oven and roast for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the oven, scatter the stilton over top. Pop back into the oven long enough to melt the cheese.
I like to fry some tender sage heads in the pan drippings until crispy and garnish the finished dish with them.