Pan-Roasted Pork Chops With Fennel
serves 2-4
Recipe from cookthink
Cooking the fennel in the same pan as the pork chops gives the whole dish a rich, meaty flavor. A dash of red pepper flakes adds a bit of bite and rounds out the flavors of this easy weekday dinner.
ingredients
2 (2-inch thick) pork chops
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground fennel
2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lemon, halved
timer
prep: 10 minutes
total: 30 minutes
tools
large, oven-safe sauté pan
tongs
digital, instant-read meat thermometer
instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400F and put the rack in the middle position. Season the pork on both sides with the ground cumin and fennel, plus a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Prep the fennel bulbs.
2. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When it's hot and shimmering, add the pork chops. Leave them alone to develop a rich brown crust on the first side, 3-5 minutes. Turn them over and brown another 2 minutes.
3. Add the fennel slices and red pepper flakes to the pan. Squeeze the lemon halves over the fennel and pork chops, then add the lemon halves face down to the pan. Put the pan in the oven and roast the chops until they reach an internal temperature of 145F in the thickest part.
4. Remove the chops and fennel to a plate. Cover them with any pan juices, and let them rest, loosely covered with aluminum foil, for 5 minutes.
