Recipe: Apple and Sauerkraut Pork Chops (using cider, brown sugar and cinnamon)

APPLE AND SAUERKRAUT PORK CHOPS

"A plate of these tender chops served with the apples, cooked down to just shy of applesauce, and tangy, flavorful sauerkraut is a meal sure to warm you through."

1 pound sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon caraway seeds, toasted
2 pounds Cortland or Empire apples (about 4 apples), cored
4 (10 ounces each) bone-in blade-cut pork chops, about 1 inch thick, trimmed and sides slit
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup apple cider
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Spread the sauerkraut evenly across the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the caraway seeds. Peel half of the apples, then cut both the peeled and unpeeled apples into 2-inch-thick wedges.

Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place the pork chops in the skillet in a pinwheel formation with the tips pointing toward the pan edge and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 8 minutes, flipping halfway through. Transfer the pork chops to the baking dish, arranging them in a single layer on top of the sauerkraut.

Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds, the sage, thyme, and cinnamon, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir the cider, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper into the pot, scraping up any browned bits. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook until reduced slightly, about 1 minute. Stir the apples into the skillet and cook until just heated through, about 1 minute. Pour the mixture into the baking dish, nestling the apples around the pork chops.

Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake until the pork chops are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove the foil and continue to cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 30 minutes longer. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings
Source: Cook's Country Best Lost Suppers by the editors of America's Test Kitchen