White Balsamic Pork Chops

Before I share with you the wonderful trip Husband I recently took to celebrate our five year wedding anniversary I need to share this delicious recipe! November has been such a beautifully busy and exciting month for our family. I feel like we have hardly been home at all. I have been able to make a few new recipes and I am very anxious to share those with you. This one came from my airport indulgence, Fine Cooking. Fine Cooking is by far my favorite cooking magazine. There are only a handful of recipes in each issue so I don’t feel overwhelmed by the recipes I feel that I “need” to make. Each issue also has a few short articles on a fun fruit or vegetable in season and kitchen basics. Who knew an article on salt, rice or stovetops could be so interesting!

Husband teases me when I pick up an issue but I know that he knows he’s going to get a delicious meal out of the magazine. While waiting to board a lady sitting next to me started chatting with me about how delicious the pictures looked (seriously, the cake on the cover is to die for) and I told her how amazing I think the magazine is. Next thing I know husband is flipping through the pages and reading the articles. He was impressed. I saw him practically drooling over this pork chop recipe so I decided to be a good wife and make it for him once we got home.

I was excited to make this recipe because of the white balsamic vinegar. I have a soft spot in my heart for WBV. I feel like it’s a luxurious alternative to regular balsamic vinegar. I kept true to the recipe except for two small changes. I didn’t have fresh herbs so I used dry. This didn’t change how I used the rosemary. I did have to add the thyme to the potatoes before placing them in the oven to ensure that they received all the flavor they could. I omitted the onions from the recipe only because I didn’t pick them up from the grocery store. I don’t think the final dish suffered from the lack of onions but I would add them in the future.

Even though I’m not a fan of pork chops I am looking forward to making this recipe again. The meat and veggies were just amazing. If you are a future dinner guest don’t be surprised if you find this meal gracing my tabletop.

Enjoy!

My sauce is a little dark but still yummy!

For the pork
¼ cup plus 1 Tbs. canola oil
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
3 medium cloves garlic, minced and mashed to a paste
1 ½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 ½ inch thick boneless pork chops
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

For the peas and potatoes
4 slices thick cut bacon, cut crosswise into ¼ inch strips
1 lb. baby potatoes, quartered
8 oz. thawed frozen pearl onions
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup thawed frozen peas
½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme

In a shallow glass or ceramic dish wide enough to fit the pork chops in one layer, whisk the ¼  cup oil with the vinegar, garlic, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Add the pork, turn to coat, and leave at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap, for about 20 minutes, turning once.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.

Put the bacon in a heavy duty 10- to 12-inch ovenproof skillet with one tablespoon water and set the skillet over medium high heat. Once the water evaporates, stir constantly until the bacon is crisp, about six minutes total. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Reserve the fat in the skillet.

Heat the reserved bacon fat in the skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, for one minute. Stir the potatoes once, and then add the onions and bacon. Cook, undisturbed, for one minute. Stir to coat the onions with the fat, and then season with salt and pepper. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in the peas and thyme to heat through, season to taste with salt and pepper, and keep warm.

With ten minutes remaining for the potatoes, remove the pork chops from the marinade and reserve the marinade. Wipe the marinade off the chops and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly season the pork with salt and pepper on both sides.

Heat the remaining oil in a heavy duty 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering hot. (Love this description!) Add the pork chops in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until browned on both sides and slightly firm to the touch, about six minutes total. Transfer the pork to a platter, cover, and keep warm. Discard any oil remaining in the skillet.

Add the reserved marinade to the skillet and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for one minute. Lower the heat to low and whisk in the butter. As soon as the butter is melted, remove the skillet from the heat, season to taste with salt and pepper, and pour the sauce over the pork. Serve with the potatoes and peas.

Adapted from Fine Cooking December 12/January 13