Pork Chops with Apples and Shallots

Martha Stewart does it again, providing yet another amazing recipe that I'll now cook until the day I die.  This meal just tasted like fall, through and through.  It so hit the spot tonight.  Served with a fresh salad of spinach, cranberries, chow mein noodles, and sweet onion dressing (to tie in with the pork chops), this was the such a good dinner.  I also think it would fare just well in a crock pot.  I looked up recipes with similar ingredients and found one easily- the only modification is to sear the pork chops before putting in the slow cooker with all of the other ingredients.  Easy enough!  If you try this in a crock pot, let me know how it goes.

Pork Chops with Apples and Shallots

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium shallots, quartered lengthwise
• 2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into eighths
• 1/2 cup white wine or apple cider (I used the white wine)
• 4 bone-in pork chops
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Move oven rack to top slot, and preheat broiler.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat.  I allowed some of my butter to brown, which added a great flavor to the dish.  Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned (about 3-5 minutes).  Cover pan and reduce heat to medium.  Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until shallots are soft (about 3-5 more minutes).
3. While shallots are cooking, line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with Pam.  Lay out the pork chops, and season generously with salt and pepper on both sides.  They will cook better if not refrigerator cold.
4. When shallots are soft, add apples and wine and stir thoroughly, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Cover, and cook until apples begin to soften (about 4 minutes), stirring occasionally.  Uncover and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has evaporated and apples are tender (2-4 minutes).  Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
5. While apples are cooking, broil pork chops until cooked through, 3-8 minutes per side.  I had gigantic pork chops, so they took 8 minutes per side while Martha's recipe said some could get away with just 3 per side.  The best advice I can give is to keep an eye on them!
6. Serve pork chops with warm apples and shallots spooned over top.