Crispy Apricot Pork Chops with Roasted Potatoes

Yay! Something besides chicken! Publix had a pretty good price this week on the center cut pork chops. I've made an apricot chicken before (surprise, surprise) so this recipe looked yummy. The potatoes and pork cook together in the oven (though not in the same pan) so its easy to multitask while its cooking. The Stubb's rub is the secret ingredient for the potatoes. They are still good without it, but I love the way they taste with it. I bought mine at Bruno's a while back. I'm sure other places carry it. I used to have a hard time finding it. Now that I have the apricot jam I have to come up with other recipes to use it!



Crispy Apricot Pork Chops:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 slices multi grain sandwich bread
4 bone-in pork loin chops (8 oz each, 3/4" thick)
course salt and ground pepper
4 teaspoons apricot jam (I used low sugar)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Set aside.

Tear bread into large pieces; place in food processor. Pulse until large crumbs form (I used my blender). Drizzle with oil, pulse once or twice, just until crumbs are moistened (you should have about 1-1/2 cups crumbs).

Season pork chops generously with salt and pepper; spread one side of each chop with 1 teaspoon jam. Dividing evenly, sprinkle breadcrumbs over jam, and pat them on gently.

Transfer pork, coated side up, to prepared baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden and pork is opaque throughout (meat should register 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), 14-16 minutes. Serve immediately (don't put too much jam like I did, it soaks up some of the breadcrumbs and doesn't allow them to get crunchy).


Roasted Potatoes:

(this is more of a method, than a recipe!)

red potatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
Stubb's rub

Preheat oven to 425-450 degrees (depending if you have something else to go in the oven with it). The hotter the oven, the quicker the taters will cook. Cube potatoes in 1/2-inch bites. Put on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil (you want enough to coat them, but they don't need to be swimming). Season liberally with salt, pepper and Stubb's rub. (Stubb's rub is a BBQ rub seasoning that I have found at Bruno's. It by no means is necessary for the potatoes to be good!) Toss the potatoes in the oil and seasoning. Spread in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 30-45 minutes (depending on the temperature) tossing halfway through baking. They are ready when fork-tender and slightly brown and crispy on the outside.

**If you have time to spare for the potatoes, they are really good when cubed a little bit bigger, then put in a 35o degree oven for about 45 minutes. This lower temperature helps them soften to a creamy texture. Then crank the oven up to about 450 and get the outside good and crispy for about another 20 minutes. This makes the perfect potato- creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside!



Enjoy!



(Pork Chops adapted from Everyday Food)