Recipe: Roast Pork Chops with Roasted Grapes
BY CHEF LIZZIE PEYTON
A recipe borrowed from Italian grandmothers, roasting the grapes intensifies their sweetness, complementing the pork perfectly. Wonderful with any woody herbs from the garden, this is a quick and delicious weeknight meal that will leave your family wanting more.
Prep time: 2 hours
Cook time: 1 hour
Serves: 2
2 pork chops, 6-10 oz. each
2 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil (or enough to just cover the base of your skillet)
1 tablespoon bacon fat
1 bunch red grapes
1 sprig rosemary
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- One to two hours prior to cooking, remove the pork chop from the fridge to temper and bring to room temperature prior to cooking. Season all sides generously with salt. Pre-seasoning will allow the flavor to penetrate deeper into the meat and help in maintaining moisture.
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Place red grapes onto a sheet pan and toss with a sprig of fresh rosemary, oil and salt. Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the grapes are kissed with the golden brown, starting to shrivel, and releasing a bit of juice (save the juice for serving).
- Place a 10-12 inch skillet over high heat on the stovetop. Add just enough canola oil to barely cover the bottom. When the oil is shimmering and just beginning to smoke, lower the heat to medium high. Gently place the pork chop on the skillet. Sear the first side for 3 minutes. Gently flip the meat to sear the other side. (If the cut is very thick you can also give a little love to the thick sides with fat to help render and give extra browning for 1-2 minutes.)
- Place a knob of bacon fat onto the chop and put the skillet into the 400 F oven for 5-10 minutes for a perfect doneness, with an internal temperature of 135-140 F. The temperature will continue rising another 5-10 degrees once you take the meat out of the oven. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes prior to digging in.
- Plate with grapes, rosemary and grape juices. Freshly crack pepper over the dish and enjoy.