Skillet Pork Chops with Apple Gnocchi Sauté & Hard Cider Sauce
Our friend Lori, from Foxes Love Lemons, has provided us with yet another delicious recipe, with this hearty meal being perfect for a crisp fall day!
It's finally starting to feel like fall here in Michigan, and I'm ready for some comfort food. This time of year, my favorite meals are the kind where everything can be roasted on one sheet pan, or where (almost) everything can be made in a single skillet.
This Skillet Pork Chops with Apple Gnocchi Sauté & Hard Cider Sauce recipe is the (almost) single skillet kind. While I tried to skip the pre-cooking the gnocchi part so I could truly make it a one-skillet meal, that ended up not working out. The gnocchi were too dense and chewy that way, so for this meal to turn out amazing, you do have to cook those in a separate pot of boiling water.
While the gnocchi are cooking, you'll be using a big skillet to cook everything else in batches. First the pork chops, then the Michigan Gala apples, then toasting the gnocchi in some butter (oh yeah), then making an easy pan sauce with hard apple cider.
In the end, you add everything back to the skillet, and have a complete dinner to bring to the table!
Skillet Pork Chops with Apple Gnocchi Sauté & Hard Cider Sauce
• 1 box (16 ounces) potato gnocchi
• 4 center cut thin pork chops (about 1-1/3 pounds)
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• Vegetable oil
• 2 Michigan Gala apples, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (12 ounces) hard cider or 1-1/2 cups apple juice or cider
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Directions:
1. Prepare gnocchi according to package directions; drain.
2. Meanwhile, sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat large cast iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add a very thin coating of oil to skillet. Add pork chops to skillet; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F, turning occasionally. Transfer pork chops to platter; cover to keep warm. Remove and discard excess fat in skillet; reduce heat to medium.
3. Add apples and 1 tablespoon butter to skillet. Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until apples are golden brown and just beginning to soften, stirring occasionally. Transfer apples to platter with pork chops.
4. Add gnocchi and 2 tablespoons butter to skillet; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until gnocchi are golden brown, stirring occasionally. Transfer gnocchi to platter with pork chops.
5. Add thyme, garlic, cider, mustard and remaining 2 tablespoons butter to skillet and whisk until well combined. Increase heat to high and cook 4 to 6 minutes or until mixture is reduced to a thin sauce consistency (the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools). Remove and discard thyme sprigs and season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Transfer apples and gnocchi back to skillet and toss to combine. Add pork chops to skillet and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve immediately.
Lori Yates is a Detroit-area recipe developer and food photographer. She is the author of Foxes Love Lemons, where she posts special yet simple original recipes for the "home chef" in all of us.
