Meat-based recipe
Sweet-tart apples and fragrant sage balance savoury pork chops, while potatoes, carrots and onions roast in the same tin. It is a practical autumn supper that uses stored allotment roots and the apple harvest together.
Ingredients
- 4, about 700g total Pork loin chops
- 600g, cut into 3cm chunks Potatoes
- 3, cut into thick batons Carrots
- 2, cut into wedges Onions
- 2, cored and cut into eighths Firm eating apples
- 8 leaves, finely sliced plus 4 whole Fresh sage leaves
- 2 tbsp Rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 100ml Dry cider or apple juice
- to taste Salt and black pepper
Equipment
Large roasting tin · Small bowl · Food thermometer
Method
- Heat the oven to 210°C (190°C fan). Toss potatoes, carrots and onions with 1½ tbsp oil, sliced sage, salt and pepper in a large roasting tin. Spread out and roast for 25 minutes, turning once.
- Mix the mustard with the remaining oil and brush over both sides of the chops. Remove the tin, turn the vegetables, nestle in the apple wedges and pour cider around the vegetables, not over the crisping potatoes.
- Place the chops on top of the vegetables and roast for 15 minutes. Turn the apples and vegetables, then continue for 5–10 minutes depending on chop thickness.
- Check the centre of each chop with a clean thermometer, avoiding the bone: reach 75°C for 30 seconds or an equivalent safe time-temperature combination. The juices should be clear and the meat no longer raw; use temperature rather than colour alone. Rest chops loosely covered for 3 minutes.
- If the vegetables need more colour, transfer the rested chops to a warm plate and return the tin to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve with the pan juices and whole sage leaves.
Allotment tip
Choose firm apples that hold their shape, such as a cooking or crisp eating variety. Add them partway through so they soften without collapsing.
Cooking tips
If chops are different thicknesses, check each one individually and remove any that reach temperature first. A shallow tin helps vegetables brown; crowding traps steam.
Common mistakes to avoid
Do not leave thin chops in the oven for the same time as thick ones. Avoid pouring liquid over the potatoes, which softens their edges.
Serving suggestions
Serve with greens or shredded cabbage and spoon over the apple-sage roasting juices.
Seasonal allotment note
A harvest-time dish for late-summer apples and autumn roots. Stored potatoes and carrots work well; remove bruised or damaged apple flesh before cooking.
Ingredient swaps
Use dried sage (about 1 tsp) if fresh is unavailable. Pear can replace apple; use stock instead of cider and check its label for allergens.
Allergens: Mustard (Dijon mustard)
Storing leftovers
Cool promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours; eat within 48 hours or freeze. Store chops and vegetables covered. Reheat once until steaming hot throughout; sliced leftover pork can also be added to a thoroughly reheated soup or hash.