Chopping up apple into a chutney is an easy way to dress up a classic weeknight pork meal! And before you come at me, I realize that even calling this a “chutney” could be overstating – so fine. Call it a quick chopped apple topping if you prefer! Either way, it is easy, it is fast, it is good. With some mashed sweet potatoes on the side you’ll have a homey and sweet-salty combo to make everyone’s mouth water.
Highlights
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Serves: 4
Make Ahead? – You can make the sweet potato ahead of time and then re-heat so save around 40 minutes of cook time.
Freezer Friendly? – No
Substitutions? – No
Ingredients List
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 thick cut boneless fresh center cut pork chops
- 2 large or 3 medium sweet potatoes
1 apple, diced (does not need to be peeled) (Gala, Cosmic Crisp or Fuji work great)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon water
Recipe: Pork Chops with Apple Chutney and Mashed Sweet Potato
- Heat oven to 425°. On a foil-lined sheet pan, drizzle olive oil over the the sweet potatoes and lightly add salt/pepper (do not peel). Place in oven for 45-60 minutes or until a fork goes through the skin easily.
- While sweet potato bakes, allow the pork chops to come to room temperature for 15-20 minutes. Prepare the pork with salt and pepper. In a cast-iron skillet, heat olive oil and add the pork. Brown both sides, about 3 minutes per side.
- Add the pork to the oven for about 10. Cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 145° – this is a critical step and you may need to add a little extra time but you DO NOT want to serve undercooked pork. Place a towel over the handle of the skillet ASAP after removing so you don’t actually burn your hand.
- While the pork is in the oven and the sweet potatoes are still cooking, add the apple, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon and water to a small sauce pan and heat over medium heat. Mix together, cover, and simmer while stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes. then, remove from heat to avoid apples getting mushy.
- Remove sweet potatoes from oven and peel off the skin. Mash the sweet potato in a large bowl.
- Spoon apple mixture over the pork and serve with a side of sweet potato mash!
Family Tips
- For kiddos sometimes adding an extra teaspoon of honey or maple syrup to the sweet potato can be delicious
- 60 minutes sounds like a long time, but a lot of this time is passive (e.g., while the sweet potato cooks). You can also also roast and peel and mash the sweet potato up to 3 days in advance and then just reheat it when you are ready to enjoy!
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