Description
Butter-basted rosemary pork chops with simple lemony collard greens and caramelized roasted sweet potatoes.
Ingredients
Scale
Pork Chops
- 2 bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons neutral, high-heat cooking oil such as avocado oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
Collard Greens
- 1 large bunch collard greens, stems removed, roughly chopped (about 4 cups)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 lemon
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Season the pork chops generously on both sides with salt and pepper and set them aside at room temperature while you prep everything else.
- Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and drizzle the cut sides with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place them cut-side down on a sheet pan and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until the cut side is deeply caramelized and golden and the flesh is completely tender when pierced with a knife.
- While the sweet potatoes roast, remove the stems from the collard greens (and compost) and roughly chop the leaves.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Add the collard greens, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they’re tender and silky but still have a little life to them, about 8 to 10 minutes. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the greens, toss to combine, and taste for salt. Turn off the heat. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of neutral high heat cooking oil in a heavy skillet (cast iron is ideal) over medium-high heat until the oil begins to glisten. Lay the chops into the pan and don’t touch them. Use a splatter guard if you have one. Let them sear undisturbed until the underside is deep golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready to flip when they release easily from the pan without sticking.
- Flip the chops and reduce heat to medium. Add the butter, rosemary, and smashed garlic to the pan. Once the butter melts and starts to foam and turn golden, tilt the pan slightly and use a spoon to baste the chops with the rosemary butter repeatedly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Use an oven mitt or dish cloth to handle the hot cast iron handle. The butter should smell toasty and the rosemary will crackle and crisp. Cook until the chops reach 140°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Transfer the chops to a plate and spoon the rosemary butter and garlic from the pan over the top. Let them rest for 5 minutes. Don’t skip this. Cutting into a pork chop straight from the pan means the juices run onto the cutting board instead of staying in the meat.
- To cut the pork chop, first cut the meat away from the bone and then slice the meat in to 1 inch pieces.
- Plate the pork chop slices with the collard greens and place a sweet potato half alongside. Spoon any resting juices over the chop.