Pork Chops & Apple-Onion Sauce

I’ve been a foodie-in-training my whole life (I’ll try to post a picture of me in my chef’s hat circa 1995), so almost all my recipes are adaptations or re-creations of food I’ve had before. Once in awhile I’ll come up with something truly unique and awesome, such as my pork chops with apple juice onions, but I can’t help staying true to classic flavor combinations. I’ve never been a fan of apple sauce with pork – something about cold mush on top of my pork turns me off – so I decided to make a hot apple-onion sauce instead. It’s a great fall or winter dish, and a drier version of the onions are a great topping for turkey burgers during the summer.

Pork Chops & Apple-Onion Sauce:

•  Heat one tbsp. olive oil in a non-stick skillet over high heat.
• Meanwhile, trim excess fat off two bone-in pork chops. Season both sides with salt & pepper.
• Add pork to the hot pan and brown for 2-3 minutes on each side.
• Remove chops from the skillet and place on a roasting sheet. Cook in a 375°F oven for 8-12 minutes, depending on chops' thickness.
• While pork is cooking, add one sliced onion to the hot, empty skillet and saute for 2-3 minutes*.
• Add 1 c. unfiltered apple juice and 1/4 c. chicken stock to the onions, making sure to scrape the brown bits at the bottom of the pan.
• Let mixture reduce for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place chops back in skillet and turn in sauce.
• Serve on plates and top chops with onions.

Serves two
*I also added a few sage leaves I had lying around.