Roasted pork chops, apples and sage

Serves: 4 ● Prep time: 15 -20 minutes (plus 4 hours soaking time and 5 minutes to make vinaigrette) ● Cooking time: 30 minutes
Here’s a celebration of some of Suffolk’s finest ingredients… free-range pork, cox apples, and Aspall Cyder Vinegar. This dish has an intriguing and pleasing sweet & sour profile thanks to the wholegrain mustard vinaigrette. The boiled lentils are tossed with wholegrain mustard dressing and give this dish a truly comforting and nourishing feel.
method
  • 6-8 tbsp wholegrain mustard dressing
  • 200 g (1 cup) green or black lentils
  • 2-3 small onions
  • 2-3 cox apples
  • 16 new potatoes
  • 16 sage leaves
  • ½ tsp flakey sea salt 
  • generous twist of black pepper
  • 4 large pork chops
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp flakey sea salt


  1. Start by making your wholegrain mustard dressing, following this recipe >.
  2. Soak your lentils in a generous amount of cold water for 4 hours.
  3. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and have an oven rack near the top.
  4. Allow your pork chops to come to room temperature and pat them dry with kitchen paper.
  5. Drain and rinse the lentils, cover generously with fresh, salted water, and bring to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes, or until cooked.
  6. Prepare the vegetables for the roasting tray: peel the onions and slice into thin half-moons through the root; cut the apples into eighths and remove the core; halve the new potatoes lengthways; pick the sage leaves from their stalks.
  7. Toss the prepared vegetables with 4 tablespoons of wholegrain mustard dressing and scatter evenly over a roasting tray.
  8. Brush the flesh of the pork chops very lightly with oil, but avoid the skin. Sprinkle each with sea salt and nestle these into your roasting tray.
  9. Roast at the top of the preheated oven for 30 minutes in total; after 15 minutes remove the tray, turn the heat up to 220, flip the pork chops, and brush the newly exposed side with 2-4 tablespoons of wholegrain mustard dressing. Continue cooking for 15 minutes.
  10. Drain the lentils and allow the steam to billow off well; this is key to avoid heavy, soggy lentils. Once dry, dress with 2 tablespoons of wholegrain mustard dressing.
  11. Serve the two together at the table with a green salad, or steamed greens, depending on the season.
ingredients
  • 6-8 tbsp wholegrain mustard dressing
  • 200 g (1 cup) green or black lentils
  • 2-3 small onions
  • 2-3 cox apples
  • 16 new potatoes
  • 16 sage leaves
  • ½ tsp flakey sea salt 
  • generous twist of black pepper
  • 4 large pork chops
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp flakey sea salt


method
  1. Start by making your wholegrain mustard dressing, following this recipe >.
  2. Soak your lentils in a generous amount of cold water for 4 hours.
  3. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and have an oven rack near the top.
  4. Allow your pork chops to come to room temperature and pat them dry with kitchen paper.
  5. Drain and rinse the lentils, cover generously with fresh, salted water, and bring to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes, or until cooked.
  6. Prepare the vegetables for the roasting tray: peel the onions and slice into thin half-moons through the root; cut the apples into eighths and remove the core; halve the new potatoes lengthways; pick the sage leaves from their stalks.
  7. Toss the prepared vegetables with 4 tablespoons of wholegrain mustard dressing and scatter evenly over a roasting tray.
  8. Brush the flesh of the pork chops very lightly with oil, but avoid the skin. Sprinkle each with sea salt and nestle these into your roasting tray.
  9. Roast at the top of the preheated oven for 30 minutes in total; after 15 minutes remove the tray, turn the heat up to 220, flip the pork chops, and brush the newly exposed side with 2-4 tablespoons of wholegrain mustard dressing. Continue cooking for 15 minutes.
  10. Drain the lentils and allow the steam to billow off well; this is key to avoid heavy, soggy lentils. Once dry, dress with 2 tablespoons of wholegrain mustard dressing.
  11. Serve the two together at the table with a green salad, or steamed greens, depending on the season.