Pork Chops
Apple · thyme · Dijon cream
Hard-seared pork, caramelized apple, craggy potatoes, and a glossy thyme-Dijon cream sauce. A proper dinner with a little mischief at the finish.
- PREP
- 15 MIN
- COOK
- 45 MIN
- TOTAL
- 60 MIN
- SERVES
- 2
Ingredients
Pork & pan sauce
- 2 bone-in pork chops (about 8 oz / 225 g each, raw)
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 4–6 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 apple, cut into thin wedges
- ½ cup / 4 fl oz stock
- ⅓ cup / 2⅔ fl oz heavy cream
- 1–2 tsp Dijon mustard
- Salt and black pepper
- Lemon juice or cider vinegar, to taste
Crisp potatoes
- 600 g / about 1⅓ lb potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- Fresh thyme, salt, and black pepper
Method
- 01
Potatoes first
Heat the oven to 425°F. Parboil the potatoes in salted water for 8–10 minutes. Drain, rough up the edges, and steam-dry. Toss with oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Roast 30–40 minutes until deeply crisp, adding their tablespoon of butter near the end.
- 02
Sear the pork
Season the chops. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Sear for 2–3 minutes on the first side, flip, then lower the heat. Add 2 tbsp butter and thyme and baste. Continue cooking as needed until the thickest part reaches 145°F, then rest at least 3 minutes.
- 03
Caramelize the apple
Keep the pork fond in the skillet. Add apple wedges and let them brown in the pork fat and butter. Set aside a few browned wedges before they soften too far.
- 04
Build the sauce
Add the stock and scrape up the fond. Reduce by about half. Add cream, thyme, black pepper, and Dijon. Simmer gently until glossy and spoon-coating.
- 05
Finish off heat
Taste. Add a squeeze of lemon or a little cider vinegar if the sauce needs brightness. Turn off the heat and whisk in the remaining tablespoon of cold butter.
- 06
Plate
Arrange crisp potatoes, a chop, and apple wedges. Spoon the thyme-Dijon cream around and partly over the pork. Finish with fresh thyme and cracked pepper.
Nutrition
- Calories
- 1050 kcal
- Protein
- 50 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
- Fat
- 65 g
- Fiber
- 7 g
- Sugars
- 13 g
Estimated per plate: one chop with half the potatoes, apple, sauce, and measured fats. Assumes about 170 g cooked edible pork per chop; bone size and retained pan fat change the result. These are approximate ingredient-based calculations, not laboratory measurements.
Adapted from Duane’s Pork_Chops_Apple_Thyme_Cream_Recipe_Card.pdf in Google Drive / Recipes.
USDA cooking temperature reference ↗