Pork Chops with Balsamic Brown Butter, Applesauce with Thyme, Mashed Potatoes and Celery Root
Interesting combinations of sophisticated ingredients make this complete meal worthy for entertaining.
Ingredients
For the apple sauce:
- 4-5 Honeycrisp apples, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups cloudy apple cider
- A little freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
- A pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
For the mashed celery root and potatoes:
- 1 pound celeriac (celery root), cut into 2-inch cubes
- 2 pounds starchy potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
- Salt
- 1 wheel Boursin cheese
- 1/2-3/4 cup milk
- Pepper
For the pork chops:
- 4 thick bone-in pork chops, about 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-inch thick
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 large clove garlic, crushed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
Preparation
For the apple sauce:
Place all the ingredients in a pot and cook over medium-high heat until the apples break down into the sauce, about 15-20 minutes. Add more cider as needed if the apples get too dry. (This recipe makes 2 1/2 cups applesauce.)
For the mashed celery root and potatoes:
Place the celery root and potatoes in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Salt the water and cook to tender, 15 minutes. Drain and return to the hot pot. Mash with cheese and milk to your desired consistency; season with salt and pepper.
For the pork chops:
Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF. Bring the chops to room temperature and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat with the oil. Brown the chops well on both sides and the edges, 7-8 minutes total. Place the pan in the oven and roast the chops to finish cooking through, 10-12 minutes.
In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the crushed garlic. Brown the butter until nutty and fragrant; remove from the heat and add the vinegar.
Spoon the brown butter over the chops and serve with the apple sauce and mashed celery root and potatoes alongside.
This is one of many "Yum-o!" recipes – it's good and good for you. To find out more about Yum-o!, Rachael's nonprofit organization, visit
www.yum-o.org.
