Maple Pork Chops with Sweet Potato–Bacon Hash
By America's Test KitchenPublished on February 15, 2022
Time
40 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
1¼ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces6 slices bacon, chopped fine4 (12-ounce) bone-in pork ribs or center-cut chops, 1 to 1½ inches thick, trimmed½ teaspoon table salt ¼ teaspoon pepper ¾ teaspoon dried thyme ½ cup maple syrup 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Microwave potatoes in covered bowl until tender, 4 to 7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook bacon in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined bowl. Pour off fat, reserving 2 tablespoons.
- Cut slits about 2 inches apart into fat and underlying silverskin of chops, opposite bone of chops. Pat chops dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon reserved fat in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place chops in skillet in pinwheel formation and brown on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes; transfer to plate.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon reserved fat, potatoes, and thyme to again-empty skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in bacon and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to serving bowl and cover to keep warm.
- Add maple syrup, vinegar, and mustard to again-empty skillet and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Return pork chops to skillet along with any accumulated juices and simmer, turning often, until glaze coats chops and pork registers 140 to 145 degrees, about 2 minutes. Serve with hash.
Time
40 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
1¼ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces
6 slices bacon, chopped fine
4 (12-ounce) bone-in pork ribs or center-cut chops, 1 to 1½ inches thick, trimmed
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¾ teaspoon dried thyme
½ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Ingredients
1¼ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces
6 slices bacon, chopped fine
4 (12-ounce) bone-in pork ribs or center-cut chops, 1 to 1½ inches thick, trimmed
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¾ teaspoon dried thyme
½ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Ingredients
1¼ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces
6 slices bacon, chopped fine
4 (12-ounce) bone-in pork ribs or center-cut chops, 1 to 1½ inches thick, trimmed
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¾ teaspoon dried thyme
½ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Why This Recipe Works
With its salty-sweet-smoky interplay of flavors and its chewy-crunchy-soft layering of textures, this fast meat and potatoes skillet dinner will hit a deep spot of satisfaction when you dig into it. Cooking the bacon in the skillet first helps to create big flavor right off the bat, since you can then brown both the chops and the parcooked sweet potatoes right in that rich rendered fat. To make a simple but superflavorful finishing glaze, combine sweet maple syrup, tangy cider vinegar, and piquant Dijon mustard in the skillet, adding the pork chops back to finish cooking through and become beautifully glazed.
Instructions
- Microwave potatoes in covered bowl until tender, 4 to 7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook bacon in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined bowl. Pour off fat, reserving 2 tablespoons.
- Cut slits about 2 inches apart into fat and underlying silverskin of chops, opposite bone of chops. Pat chops dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon reserved fat in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place chops in skillet in pinwheel formation and brown on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes; transfer to plate.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon reserved fat, potatoes, and thyme to again-empty skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in bacon and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to serving bowl and cover to keep warm.
- Add maple syrup, vinegar, and mustard to again-empty skillet and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Return pork chops to skillet along with any accumulated juices and simmer, turning often, until glaze coats chops and pork registers 140 to 145 degrees, about 2 minutes. Serve with hash.
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