Herbed Pork Chops with Apples

This past year a good friend of mine gave me 4 books in the Food Made Fast series from Williams-Sonoma. Since I cook dinner almost every night after work, saving time is important to me. So far I have made at least 3 recipes out of each book. A key characteristic of the recipes is that they use fresh meats and vegetables, not prepacked items. When I saw this pork recipe it sounded like the perfect Fall dinner. Although the orginal recipe called for dried herbs I choose to use mostly fresh ones I had on hand. I rounded out the dinner with brown rice and steamed asparagus.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Weeknight

Serves 4

1 Tbsp fresh sage finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh thyme removed from stems
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary removed from stems and finely chopped
1 Tsp dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 Bone-in center-cut pork loin chops (each about 1.5-2 inches thick)
2 Granny Smith apples cored and cut crosswise to 1/2 inch thick slices
1 Tbsp olive oil

In a bowl combine all the herbs and salt and pepper. Season the pork chops on both sides with the herb mixture, rubbing it into the meat. Place the chops on a large, rimmed cookie sheet and let stand 10 minutes at room temperature.

Preheat your oven broiler to high. Bake chops, turning once, until browned on the outside and cooked through about 8 minutes on each side.

When the chops are about halfway done, brush or spray apple slices with olive oil on both sides and place around chops on cookie sheet. Bake the apples turning once, until lightly browned and tender about 6 minutes total. Serve along side chops.