Pork Chops with Maple Apple Pan Sauce

04 Mar Pork Chops with Maple Apple Pan Sauce

This easy family style meal is perfect for a weeknight or weekend dinner.  Make sure to bring your pork chops to room temperature (let em’ sit out on the counter for an hour or so) before pan searing them. I used Macintosh apples for the sauce because they’re my favorite, but use any apples you’d like.  And you can swap fresh sage for dried sage but fresh will always have more flavor.

Serve Pork Chops with Maple Apple Pan Sauce with your favorite veggies or roasted potatoes for a balanced meal.

Pork Chops with Maple Apple Pan Sauce

Makes about 4 pork chops

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 boneless pork chops (about 1 to 1 1/2 “ thick each), brought to room temperature
• Salt
• 8 or so fresh sage leaves, chopped
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 apples, peeled and chopped small
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 1 ½ cups organic chicken stock (my favorite is Saffron Road Reduced Sodium Chicken Stock)
• Drizzle of pure maple syrup (not the fake stuff)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Season the pork chops generously with salt.  Press the chopped sage onto both sides of the chops.
2. Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Swirl to coat.  Once oil is hot, add one pork chop at a time to the pan, making sure not to crowd the pan (cook the 4^th chop in a second batch if necessary.)
3. Let pork sear for approximately 5 or 6 minutes or so on the first side or until lightly golden brown (don’t touch or move the pork around – this will give it a nice golden crust)
4. Gently turn pork chops and sear the other side for approximately 5 minutes, lowering the heat if necessary (the pan shouldn’t be smoking).  If you didn’t have enough room for the fourth piece of pork, repeat the steps above for the final piece.
5. Remove pork from the pan and set aside on a plate.
6. Lower the heat to medium.  In the same pan, add butter and scrape up the little browned bits of pork on the bottom of the pan (they add flavor!)  Add apples and sauté until soft, approximately 8 minutes or so.  Add fresh lemon juice and stir.
7. Pour in chicken stock and lower heat slightly.  Simmer the sauce until it is reduced by about ½ or until the sauce is thickened a bit, stirring occasionally.
8. Stir in drizzle of pure maple syrup.  Taste sauce and adjust seasonings.
9. If pork isn’t cooked through yet (it should just be very slightly pink in the center – you can cut a small slit in the top of one of the pork chops to test) place pieces back in the pan and cook for a moment or two until pork is done.  Pour juices from the plate of pork into the sauce.
10. Pour sauce over pork and serve.  Enjoy!

SO, WHAT’S THE NUTRITION BALANCE?

This recipe has a great balance of protein, carbs and fat, especially if you serve it with a small portion of potatoes or a big helping of your favorite veggie.