Simple Supper: Baked Pork Chops and Fried Apples
- The Bookery
- May 6, 2023
- 3 min read
Simple suppers are about creating a simple, tasty menu that you can easily pull together after a busy day with as little hassle as possible. We recognize life can be a bit overwhelming, so if we can take the stress of what to fix for dinner off your mind, we’re here for it!
The Simple Supper Menu
Baked Pork Chops
Remember Gimme Some Oven’s method for the best baked chicken breasts? Well, we were planning to use the same method for pork chops when we discovered that’s just what the website recommends! We only cooked two nicely sized, thick-cut bone-in pork chops, but if you’re cooking for a larger family or group, feel free to make more!
Ingredients
Thick-cut, bone-in pork chops (We prefer thick-cut, bone-in pork chops because we think they’re less likely to dry out when being cooked. Check out Gimme Some Oven for some tips of what to look for when selecting your pork chops at the grocery store.)
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
Seasoning, to taste (We used garlic pepper and sea salt.)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375º.
Brine the pork chops in bowl of lukewarm water and a handful of salt, about 15 minutes. You can brine for longer. When ready to cook, rinse pork chops in cold water and pat dry.
While the chops are brining, heat a large cast iron skillet on medium heat on the stovetop for about 5 minutes.
Brush both sides of the pork chops with olive oil and season generously to taste.
Place pork chops in the skillet, pressing down with a spatula to make sure all parts of that side are touching the skillet. Sear for about 3 minutes. Flip and repeat the process.
Transfer skillet to oven and bake for another 2-3 minutes before flipping again. Bake another 2-3 minutes. You may need to adjust these steps for you oven, but make sure the pork chops are cooked through. It wouldn’t hurt to use a meat thermometer to ensure the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145°F. Whatever you do, it’s really important the pork is cooked through!
Rest pork chops while you prepare the rest of the meal, tenting aluminum foil over the skillet.
Fried Apples
Ingredients
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
4 tablespoons butter
⅓ cup of brown sugar
Cinnamon to taste
Directions
Melt the butter in the bottom of a skillet (cast iron or otherwise) on the stove top. Add the apples, brown sugar and cinnamon (as much or as little as you prefer).
Cover with a lid, stirring occasionally.
Apples are ready when cooked through, soft and flavorful.
Garden Salad
You might notice that salad is included in the photo of this Simple Supper menu. Originally, we had planned to include the Pioneer Woman’s very green orzo from her Super Easy! Cookbook (which we’ve detailed in one of our Cookbook Chronicle installments), but realized that while the recipe was pretty good, it probably didn’t fit the whole “pull-together-after-a-long-day” aspect of a Simple Supper. The recipe, while tasty, involves a lot of chopping, so if you’re going to make it for dinner, we’d suggest chopping all your veggies beforehand.
So, we're adding in one of our favorite side dishes, a simple garden salad!
Ingredients
1 to 2 Romaine hearts, rinsed, chopped or torn into bite-size pieces
1 to 1½ peeled and sliced carrots
½ a large cucumber, sliced thin
1-2 stalks of celery, sliced thin
1 red radish, sliced thin
1-2 green onions, sliced (green and white parts)
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
Sprinkle with garlic salt to taste
Toss with dressing of your choice.
Comentários