Grilled Pork Chops with Apple & Sage Marinade Reduction

Yesterday was such a beautiful fall like day that I decided to be creative in the kitchen and prepare a meal that could be cooked on the grill...the end result was so good (if I do say so myself...Johny thought it was awesome too) that I want to share the recipe (I love to create in the kitchen, I love it even more when it's a success)!

Grilled Butterfly Center Cut Pork Chops with Apple & Sage Marinade Reduction

Ingredients:

Marinade:
1 cup semi-dry white wine
2 apples
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice with pulp
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
5 or 6 fresh sage leaves, chopped (from our herb garden)

2 butterfly center cup pork chops
fresh green beans (from our garden)
1 shallot
russet potatoes (from our garden)
heavy cream
butter
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Peel and finely grate the apples, adding the lemon juice as you grate to keep the apples from browning.

Whisk together the rest of the marinade ingredients, cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for at least an hour to the flavors can blend.

Forty-five minutes before you grill, liberally cover the chops with the marinade and allow them to rest on the counter, covered loosely.  Set aside about 1/4 cup of the marinade to use while grilling.

Pour the rest of the marinade into a pan (this part I did in the kitchen)...

...and bring it to a rolling boil.  Turn the heat down to low and let it simmer. 

Melt 2 tbsp of butter into the sauce (this was an afterthought so it's not in the ingredients)...and a few more chopped sage leaves (I decided this after tasting the sauce)...

...then use an immersion blender and blend everything together...

...to create a smoother consistency.  Keep the heat on low.

At the same time you are heating the marinade, have your potatoes cubed and in a pot.  Cover the potatoes with water, add a little salt, and boil them until fork tender.  Yes, I am a keep-the-skin-on kind of person...to many nutrients not too!

You also want to have your green beans cleaned with the ends cut off.  Thinly slice the shallots and put them in a bowl with a little olive oil, just enough to wet all the slices.

By this time you want to have your grill heating up.  Put the beans and shallots into a heavy duty sheet of tin foil and drizzle them with a little more olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste.

Use another piece of tin foil to cover the beans.  Fold the sides to create a package and place the package on the top rack of the grill, closing the grill lid.

When your potatoes are fork tender, add butter, heavy cream (or milk) and salt & pepper to taste and mash them. Cover and leave on low heat to stay warm.

Put the pork on the grill and brush some of the marinade on them.  Cook 5 - 7 minutes on each side with the grill lid closed (cooked temp should read 140 degrees).  Notice the puffed package of beans...be sure to shake the package periodically to prevent burning, but don't puncture it...you want all that steam in there to keep things moist and flavorful. 

Turn the chops over (I use a timer) and brush more marinade on them, then close the lid and cook for 5 - 7 more minutes.

Take the package of beans off the grill...this is what you end up with.  The sweetness of the beans is enhanced by the shallot...these were divine!

Bring the pot of sauce back to a boil, reducing it further.  I accidentally left the burner on high when I went to get the pork chops, but it worked out perfectly...creating a very thick reduction of the marinade...almost like a really thick apple sauce. 

Put the chops on a clean plate with a little marinade on it and let them rest for 5 minutes.

The end result was a very juicy pork chop with a gently sweet reduced sauce that complemented the pork chop perfectly.   The green beans were divine (good enough to say that a second time!) and the mashed potatoes thick and creamy.  Yes, you see mushrooms there too, we can't have a meal without checking to see if there are wild mushrooms available...Johny sauteed them in a little butter...so good!

We shared a chop, they were too big for one person...and we enjoy leftovers and it means an easy evening in the kitchen will follow! I do know that presentation is everything, but I wanted to keep all the components separated to be sure I could taste the distinct flavor of each menu item.  If you were to prepare this, you could put the mashed in the middle of the plate with the chop leaning on them and the reduction on top of it.  The beans could be arranged around one side and the mushrooms on the other. 

This may sound like a complicated meal, but it really isn't.  Perfect for a feels-like-fall day!  If you decide to try it, let me know what you think!

Visit Flour Me With Love and Homestead Barn Hop for more interesting recipes.

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise