Pork and potatoes with apple sauce is, of course, an all-time classic Sunday roast. Here the same ingredients are combined in a much quicker way for an easy weeknight supper – or an effortless weekend feast.
Serves 2
About 500g fairly floury potatoes, such as King Edward or Maris Piper
3 tablespoons sunflower, rapeseed or olive oil, plus extra for frying
2 dessert apples
2 pork chops
8–10 sage leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200oC/Gas 6. Peel the potatoes and cut into 2–3cm chunks. Put into a saucepan, cover with water, add salt and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then drain well and return to the pan. Add some salt and pepper. Put the lid on the pan and give it a good shake to roughen up the potatoes a little.
Put the oil into a large roasting tin and place in the oven for about 5 minutes until hot. Add the potatoes, toss in the oil and roast for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, quarter and core the apples, then cut each quarter into 2 or 3 wedges. Take the potatoes out of the oven, add the apples and stir well. Roast for another 10–15 minutes until the potatoes are really crisp and the apples are soft.
While the potatoes and apples are roasting, heat a little more oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Season the chops with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Fry for 6–8 minutes on each side, or until nicely coloured and cooked through, adding the sage leaves for the last few minutes.
Nestle the cooked chops into the cooked potatoes and apples and leave in a warm place to rest for 5–10 minutes. Serve with a green vegetable such as kale or cabbage, or a leafy salad on the side.
SWAPS This works very well with lamb chops instead of pork, and plums in place of the apples. Cut the plums in half around the middle and remove the stones. Leave out the sage, but put a pinch of ground cinnamon on each plum half as you add them to the roasting spuds.