I love pork chop recipes, but after the Chef John Smothered Pork Chops, I was a little gun shy. I have my own way of making pork chops learned while working at Gourmet Grazing for a summer in Prospect, Kentucky. They're impossible to beat. Interestingly enough, the Chef John chops were just named the top pork chop recipe by Allrecipies. For this reason, I feel compelled to unsubscribe from Allrecipes.com emails. Allrecipes is for people with really basic palates and poor cooking skills. Their top recipes are basic recipes that lack interesting ingredients, a deft hand, and artistic presentation. I picture them as nursing home food. I'm routinely disappointed by the recipes I find there.
Anyway, so I saw this recipe on Cooking Light. After a lot of winter hibernation, I could use some lightening up. It didn't disappoint. The veggies came out delightfully sweet in that balsamic way with just a little of the tasty char from modification of the cooking instructions. The Gorgonzola was the perfect amount of tangy creaminess.
Here's the original recipe:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/pork-chops-balsamic-roasted-vegetables
I followed the original recipe for all the ingredients and quantities. To marinate the veggies, after all the slicing I put them in plasticware, drizzled with the balsamic mixture, then shook the container vigorously. The veggies were evenly coated quickly and efficiently. Then I left them in the fridge for a few hours this way to let the flavors meld.
Place veggies in plasticware. Drizzle with balsamic mixture.
Now seal. Check for a tight seal twice. Then shake vigorously. You'll end up with evenly coated veggies like this.
Potatoes browned, veggies in. I recommend hitting broil instead of baking at 425. After about 10 minutes, the veggies had perfectly charred edges. I think those are the key to tasty roasted veggies.
After the 10 minutes on broil, I added the pork chops and left the oven at broil. This gave the pork chops some nice charred edges, too. I watched the chops and removed them once the golden broiling marks appeared.
The final product was a hit at my house. I went light on the Gorgonzola for my portion since I try to minimize the dairy I consume. You can sprinkle more generously like my husband's portion if you crave cheesy creaminess.
Pork Chops with Balsamic Roasted Vegetables and Gorgonzola
Bottom line: make this recipe as soon as possible. You won't regret it.
Insider tip: broil to yield more crispy edge, charred veggies. That's the good stuff.
