Pork, Apples, and Sage
Pan-Roasted Bone-In Pork Chops with Butternut Squash and Apples
A skillet full of early-autumn produce — caramelized squash, soft apples, and silky leeks — with thick bone-in pork chops nestled back in until everything collapses into a glossy, savory-sweet pan sauce.
This is the dish I reach for the first week the evenings turn cold. Pork and apples are an old combination for a reason: the squash goes from firm to spoon-tender if you leave it alone, and the apples turn the pan sauce just sweet enough that you'll want bread in it. Serve it straight from the skillet while the kitchen is still warm.
Ingredients
Serves 4- 4 bone-in pork chops (about 1½ pounds), 1 to 1½ inches thick
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 large leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 crisp apples, such as Honeycrisp or Granny Smith, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 10-12 fresh sage leaves, torn
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ cup dry white wine or apple cider
- 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
- ¼ cup hazelnuts or walnuts, toasted and chopped, for serving
Method
40 minPat the pork chops dry and season both sides with the kosher salt and a little black pepper. Let them sit while you prep the vegetables, 20-30 minutes — salting ahead is the first thing that keeps the chops juicy.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook without moving them for 3-4 minutes per side, until deeply golden but not cooked through. Stand them on the fat cap for about 1 minute so it renders and crisps, then transfer to a plate.
Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. Once melted, add the leeks and a pinch of salt and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sage and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the squash and apples in an even layer and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until they start to color.
Stir in the Dijon mustard, honey, and white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme sprigs and toss to coat the squash and apples.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the squash and apples on their own for 15-18 minutes, until the squash is tender — this way the pork never has to sit in the oven longer than it needs.
Nestle the pork chops back into the skillet with any juices from the plate, spoon some of the sauce over them, and roast for 8-12 minutes more, until the pork registers 140 degrees Fahrenheit — bone-in chops take a few minutes longer than boneless because the bone insulates the meat next to it.
Turn off the heat, cover the skillet loosely, and let the chops rest for 5 minutes; carryover heat brings them to 145 degrees. Discard the thyme stems, taste the sauce and adjust with salt, then scatter the toasted hazelnuts over the top and serve warm with crusty bread.