Pan-Roasted Pork Chop with Apples and Mustard-Onion Gravy

Photo: Matt Taylor-Gross • Food Styling: Ryan McCarthy. Photo: Matt Taylor-Gross • Food Styling: Ryan McCarthy

For orchardist Matt Kaminsky, a simple preparation of wild apples quartered and basted in butter is an excellent way to make the most of the fruit’s unusual and diverse flavor profiles—particularly when paired with a bone-in pork chop. In this recipe, any small, tart apples will suffice, but be sure to leave the skin on for the tannic complexity it brings to the dish.

Featured in “ Apples Gone Wild: An Exhibition Shows Off the Diversity of These Feral Fruits ” by Alex Testere.

Yield: 1–2 Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• One 1½-in.-thick bone-in pork chop
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 2 tart apples, cored and cut into 8 even wedges
• 1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

Instructions

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Pat the pork chop dry with paper towels, then season generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 Tbsp. butter. When it begins to foam, add the pork chop to one side of the pan and the apples to the other. Cook, turning the chop once and stirring the apples occasionally, until the pork is evenly browned, 6–8 minutes per side, and the apples are golden, 6–8 minutes total.
3. Transfer the apples and pork to a foil-lined baking sheet as they’re ready, and bake until the apples are soft and the pork is cooked to your liking, 10–15 minutes for medium-well (155°F).
4. Meanwhile, return the skillet to medium heat; add 2 Tbsp. butter, the onion, and thyme. Season lightly with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and beginning to brown, 6–8 minutes. Stir in the all-purpose flour followed by the chicken stock and mustard, bring to a boil, and cook until the gravy thickens, 2–4 minutes. Serve the pork chop hot, with the gravy and apples.