I love smothered pork chops. A great form of comfort food, especially served with mashed potatoes. This version is from Bon Appetit Tastes of the World. If you have concerns about the applejack, all the alcohol will cook off. Aaaand...in case you can't tell,...diet, this ain't.
8 bacon slices, chopped
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges each
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup apple juice
1 cup canned chicken broth
1/2 cup applejack or other apple brandy
1 cup crumbled Maytag blue cheese
Salt and pepper
4 6-ounce pork loin chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
Cook bacon in a heavy skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels. Spoon off 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet and reserve; discard all but 2 tablespoons of the remaining drippings in the skillet. Add onions to skillet and saute until golden, about 15 minutes. Push onions to one side of the skillet; add apples and sugar to the skillet and saute until apples are golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer onions and apples to a bowl.
Heat 1 tablespoon reserved bacon drippings in the same skillet. Add flour and stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in juice, broth, and applejack. Boil until gravy thickens, whisking frequently, about 4 minutes. Add cheese and whisk until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Add onion mixture to gravy and stir until heated through. Remove from heat. Cover and keep warm.
Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pork and saute until cooked through, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer to bowl. pour gravy over chops. Top with bacon and serve.
[Image via The Survival Gourmet]
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