Apple and sage pork chops

I found this recipe online and thought it looked nice and then when I was cooking it I had a few misgivings - things weren't browning properly, the marinade looked like it wasn't going to do anything to the pork and the apples looked out of place. However, after putting the apples in the oven to oven bake instead of leaving them in the pan, this dish came out beautifully, especially when served with potato wedges and broccoli. You could also grill the chops and apples instead, I couldn't since our oven and grill aren't separate.

One tip I have for marinading is to use a bag instead of a bowl, anything will do really. I have used normal food bags, the bags that vegetables come in in the supermarket, or my preference - 1 litre ziplock food bags. If you do use a bag, double bag the marinading things particularly if they have bones on  to prevent them breaking through the bag. Usually before closing the bag I make sure that all air is out of the bag and that I rotate the bag round every so often just so all food gets the marinade.

Ingredients

• 2 pork chops, on or off the bone
• 2 red or pink small eating apples

For the marinade:

• 15 ml (1 tbsp) fresh sage leaves, finely chopped or 10ml (2tsp) dried sage
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped or 10ml (2tsp) dried thyme
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) maple syrup
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
• the juice and zest of half a lemon
• salt and pepper

For the sauce

• 150 ml single cream (you may not need all of this)
• 150 ml chicken or beef stock
• a little more maple syrup to taste

Method 

1. Remove excess fat from the chops
2. Cut the apples in half, leaving the core intact.
3. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl
4. Add the chops and the apples to the marinade and mix to coat all surfaces
5. Cover and put in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes. Do not marinade for longer than an hour, or the apples will turn brown.
6. Pre-heat oven to 180C and cook wedges on a tray and grease-proof paper, according to packet instructions. The next steps will take around 20-30 mins.
7. Put a small amount of oil in the frying pan and heat. Add pork chops and apples (cut side down) and cook for 5 mins.
8. Remove apples and put in the oven for about 15mins, cut side facing up.
9. Continue cooking the pork chops in the pan until the marinade is reducing and starting to caramelise and brown and stick to the pork.
10. Check the chops are cooked through, put on a  plate, cover in foil and allow to rest while you make the sauce.
11. Pour in the stock to the frying pan which the chops were in and try and get the sticky brown marinade off the bottom of the saucepan. This will give flavour and colour to the sauce. It doesn't matter if there are bits of sage there too. Allow to reduce and thicken.
12. Add the cream and stir. Taste and add some maple syrup if necessary. I think we may have added a little more sage to the mix. Allow to simmer and reduce for a few minutes.
13. Serve the pork chops and wedges with some green veg and with the sauce.

Hyvää Ruokahalua!