Fried Pork Chops

I generally try to stay away from pork and red meat--at this point, it's a pretty well-documented fact that the stuff isn't exactly healthy for you or for the environment, for that matter. I won't get into all the nitty gritty details here, because let's face it, we're looking at a picture of a juicy, perfectly seasoned pork chop above, that I made last night and ate enthusiastically with a side of Spanish rice. And man, it was really good.

I allow myself these indulgences about once a month or so, sticking to chicken, fish, and veggies the rest of the time, which makes the prospect of a rare steak or lamb shank that much more deliciously appealing. I decided on this dinner mostly due to lack of time and ingredients, but it surprised me when it came sizzling out of my trusty cast-iron skillet and proved itself to be one of the quickest, yet tastiest, meals I've made in recent memory. It's about as simple as cooking gets; you season the chop with sea salt and pepper, heat up a cast iron skillet with a bit of vegetable oil, and fry it up. That's it. It takes up approximately 10 minutes of your evening, and puts a seriously decadent, mouth-watering meal in front of you. Good deal, no? P.S. The recipe below serves 4-8, but you can easily just fry up one chop if it's just you. xo

Fried Pork Chops

Adapted from Saveur, Issue #73

Ingredients:

8 5 – 7 oz. pork chops
Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil 

Directions: 

Generously season eight 5-7 oz. pork chops with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat 2 tbsp. lard or vegetable oil in a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat.

Working in 3 batches, fry pork chops until golden brown on on side, about 5 minutes, then turn chops and fry for 2-3 minutes more. Add 1 more tbsp. lard or vegetable oil to skillet between batches.

Transfer chops to a warm platter as finished cooking. Serve with your choice of rice. (I used Spanish.)