I feel like pork chops. You don’t look like pork chops.
That was the late, great New York Times bestselling author and my dear friend Dottie Frank’s response when I called her one afternoon from Whole Foods jonesing for pork chops.
It was, is, and always will be legendary, just like Dot.
After I called her, I followed up with my request in a text so she’d return the recipe in a text, and then I’d have it on my phone. Little did I know I’d need it recorded because she passed away suddenly six months later. I’ve made these chops every December since 2018 in memory of my dearest, Dot.
INGREDIENTS
4 medium-large pork chops
2 tbsp white all-purpose flour
1 tbsp ground sage
1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp canola oil
4 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, and sliced thick
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
Big pinch of salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Pat chops dry with paper towels
In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp flour, 1 tbsp sage, 1 tbsp black pepper, and 1 tbsp of kosher salt, and rub pock chops all over.
Melt 2 tbsp of butter, and 2 tbsp of canola oil in a hot 5 quart Dutch oven and sauté the chops (5 minutes on each side for thick chops; 2-3 minutes for thin chops). Remove chops and set aside.
Toss apples in 1/2 cup brown sugar, tbsp of lemon juice, and a big pinch of salt. Sauté apples in the buttered Dutch oven.
Cover apples with the chops and cook on medium heat until the chops register 145 degrees with a meat thermometer.
Serve chops on a bed of sautéed apples.