As Mother Nature has, until now, seemed unwilling to provide Colorado’s flatlanders with a proper winter, we’ve had no choice but to head to the kitchen and pretend with a menu of comfort food. Sadly, the night we tested this recipe, it was temperate enough to grill outdoors. Happily, the result was so lovely it gave us a little chill. – Dana Coffield
Grilled Pork Chops with Chipotle Corn Mashed Potatoes and Caramelized Apples
This recipe from Boulder’s long-gone Dandelion Restaurant, found in Sue Schildge’s “Boulder: A Culinary Journey,” warms the plate with silky mashed potatoes studded with sweet corn and smoky chipotle chiles. If your dining partners have sensitive tongues, cut the chiles by half or more; your mashers will still have a gorgeous color and a little heat, but no one will cry at the table. The wine sauce may be made a day in advance and reheated before serving. Serves 4.
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops, about 1-inch thick
- Red Wine Sauce
- 1 rib celery, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 tablespoon chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 cups homemade veal or beef stock, or canned, low-sodium broth
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Mashed Potatoes
- 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled
- 2 chipotle chiles, minced
- Kernels of two ears of corn, or 1 cup of frozen corn
- Up to 2 cups heavy cream
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Caramelized Apples
- 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and quartered
- 1/2 cup sugar
Directions
To make red wine sauce, sauté diced celery and carrot and herbs in olive oil until browned. Add tomato paste and continue cooking until mixture caramelizes to a dark brown color. Add red wine and reduce to the consistency of syrup. Add stock and reduce to approximately 1 1/2 cups. Strain through a fine sieve and season to taste with salt and pepper.
In a medium stock pot, boil potatoes for one hour. Drain water from pan and transfer potatoes to a mixing bowl. Mash the potatoes and mix in corn and chipotles and enough cream to create the consistency you like. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
In a small bowl, toss apples with sugar until they are completely coated. Sauté in a pan until sugar has caramelized to a golden brown, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.
Season pork with salt and pepper, then broil or grill to desired doneness.
Spoon potatoes and apples onto a plate and place a pork chop on top of mashed potatoes. Spoon red wine sauce over pork chop and serve immediately.
