Sweet Glazed Pork Chops with Potato Chunks

Some how I have a subscription to All Recipe's magazine. I do not remember ordering it but in April the most recent three back issues showed up and then the April/May 2015 issue appeared in the mail box a week later. I didn't even crack the spines before E2, they all just sat on the kitchen counter, along with the latest issue of Eating Well. I really didn't have the energy to cook anything fancy.

This week however I was nursing and when E2 fell asleep, I decided to check one out. I was very surprised that there were so many interesting recipes. I made it all the way to page 42 before I knew exactly what we were having for dinner. I didn't even alter their original recipe the first time. I did alter it the second time.

Sweet Glazed Pork Chops
oil for the pan
1 inch thick pork chops (I used 3 since that was how we packaged them)
salt
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup unsweetened organic apple juice
2 TBSP organic apple cider vinegar
1.5 tsp whole grain Dijon mustard (I used whole grain because that was all I have)

1. Heat oil in pan.
2. Sprinkle chops with salt, both sides
3. Sear both sides of the pork chop on medium heat, about 3 minutes per side.
4. While the pork chops are searing, mix the other ingredients together.
5. Reduce heat and add mixture.
6. Cook chops in mixture until done, about 4 minutes per side.
7. Remove chops from pan and allow to rest on a plate.
8. Cook mixture until it thickens, about 5 minutes more.

The verdict? This was delicious. I am not always a fan of mustard but you couldn't tell there was mustard or maple syrup in it. It was sweet but not overly and all the flavors mixed together nicely. You could easily reduce the amount of maple syrup if you didn't want it too sweet.

So what changes have I made since? Well, I typically don't have apple juice in the house. Lately I have it because it is something I like to drink after giving birth (weird, right?) so I wanted to see what it would taste like if I didn't use any apple juice. It was just as fantastic, although the flavor was more of a Sweet and Sour sauce, which we also really like.

Sweet and Sour Pork Chops
oil for the pan
1 inch thick pork chops (again I used 3 since that was how we packaged them)
salt
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup water
2 TBSP organic apple cider vinegar
1.5 tsp whole grain Dijon mustard

1. Heat oil in pan.
2. Sprinkle chops with salt, both sides
3. Sear both sides of the pork chop on medium heat, about 3 minutes per side.

4. While the pork chops are searing, mix the other ingredients together.
5. Reduce heat and add mixture.

6. Cook chops in mixture until done, about 4 minutes per side.
7. Remove chops from pan and allow to rest on a plate.
8. Cook mixture until it thickens, about 5 minutes more.

The verdict? We all loved this version too. I will most likely make this one more often simply because of the ingredients we tend to have. I do look forward to trying to with some of our homemade applesauce in place of the apple juice. The other thing is that I can see this being used on pork or chicken. I am curious if it will work as a sweet and sour sauce on some stew meat we have as well, maybe with some onions. Oh the possibilities are endless! What a simple, quick meal.

The side dish I made with the pork chops was oven baked potatoes. They come out perfect every time.

Oven Baked Potato Chunks
4 lbs potatoes cut into bite size chunks
1-2 TBSP oil
oregano, dried or fresh
minced garlic
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Place potato chunks into a large bowl and toss with oil until they are covered.
3. Sprinkle potatoes with oregano, toss and repeat until they all have some green on them.
4. Add minced garlic, toss and repeat until they all have some garlic on them.
5. Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired.
6. Bake uncovered until soft on the inside, about 1 hour. The time depends on the size chunks. I tend to make mine smaller for the little ones in the house and the potatoes are usually done in 35-45 minutes.

Enjoy!