Sautéed Pork Chops with Kale Salad
If you're not careful, pork chops can dry out pretty quickly. Perfecting a pork chop is all about properly seasoning and cooking it. This pork chops and kale salad recipe will have you cooking the juiciest chops ever. Plus, this recipe is naturally gluten-free.
This recipe was provided by Kristine Kidd, author of Weeknight Gluten-Free.
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
Cider vinegar, 1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60 ml)
Gluten-free Dijon mustard,1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon
Honey, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon
Olive oil, 1⁄2 cup (4 fl oz/125 ml) plus 3 tablespoons
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Black kale leaves, 4 cups (4 oz/125 g) thinly sliced (about 14 stalks with center ribs removed, from 1 large bunch)
Tart green apple such as Pippin, 1, cut into matchsticks
Center-cut loin pork chops, 4, each about 1 1⁄4 inch (3 cm) thick
Fresh thyme, 4 teaspoons minced
Dried marjoram, 2 teaspoons, crumbled
Shallot, 2 tablespoons minced
Dry vermouth, 1/2 cup (4 fl oz/125 ml)
How To Make It
- In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar, mustard, and honey. Gradually mix in 1/2 cup (4 fl oz/125 ml) plus 2 tablespoons of the oil to make a dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine the kale and apple. Add 1/3 cup (3 fl oz/80 ml) of the dressing and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Lightly sprinkle the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper, and then sprinkle with the thyme and marjoram.
- In a heavy large skillet over high heat, warm the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the pork chops and cook until lightly browned, 1–2 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the meat feels firm but not hard when pressed and an instant-read thermometer registers 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), 3–4 minutes per side. Mound the kale on a platter and top with the pork chops. Let stand while you make the sauce.
- Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from the pan. Set the pan over medium heat, add the shallot, and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the vermouth and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits on the pan bottom. Remove from the heat and mix in the remaining dressing to make a sauce. Season the sauce to taste, then spoon over the pork chops and serve.
