Pork Chops with Leeks in Mustard Sauce

Pork... Hands down, my favorite meat.  I mean think of the variety.  Bacon, prosciutto, pancetta, pork sausage, pulled pork, pork tenderloin and... the featured cut, the pork chop.  I like a good steak every once in a while, but the truth is I would gladly trade steak for pork.  The pork chop is generally not the star cut of the meat, perhaps because it often is so dry and tasteless.  But blame the cook, not the cut of meat!  It's like blaming a bad dog when it's the owner's fault.  A pork chop done right is truly delicious.  Oh and the perfect flavorful sauce doesn't hurt either.

You know my love affair with sauce.  Generally if a recipe calls for sauce I look at it skeptically to see if it truly is an accurate sauce ratio for a saucy girl like myself.  If it's a 'light' recipe then it for sure isn't.  I used that filter on this recipe and let me just say... there... was... plenty... of sauce.  Like more than even I would need.  I think Johnny ended up eating the last of it with something else.  Maybe because I halved the meat but not the sauce.  I know, a bit ridiculous.  So, you will have plenty here, but not the ridiculous plethora that we had and did not need.  Although I think you could eat old shoe leather with the sauce and it would be good.

This recipe was maybe a bit fancy for what I normally make during the week but I had flipped by it so many times in my cooking binder that I finally just had to make it.   (Have I not told you about the cooking binder, or should I say binderssss yet?  It's a collection of recipes from magazines and food network that I print out and then categorize.  There's a salad binder, a pasta/pizza binder, a breakfast and beverages binder and yeah a few more... It's true; I have been told that I have some Monica tendencies.  I only started doing it with 2009 magazines and very quickly grew from one binder to 5 binders.  I know... it's a problem.)

Perhaps you don't love pork.  Or don't have quite the love affair with sauce that I do.  But surely you are looking for a new pork recipe.  And one that doesn't involve a dry, tasteless piece of meat but instead a juicy, salty moist piece of meat covered in a smoky, creamy sauce with a hint of onion from the leeks.  I know my mouth is watering.

Trish's Tips:  Pork chops are so lean that they will become dry very quickly.  Don't worry here, if you make that mistake you will have some delicious sauce to cover up your mistake, but they will be so much better if they are cooked right.  Don't overcook.  I grew up with the notion that pork was like chicken and had to be cooked through, we all did I think... This isn't true anymore and I've been told in a cooking class to cook it until it is 'blush' in the middle.  Not raw like a steak but just slightly underdone.  When you take meat off of the oven it will raise in temperature (I know, I don't get it either) and it will keep cooking while covered so err on the side of underdone vs. overdone.  You could always nestle the pork chop back in the sauce and cover to finish cooking if you need to.

Pork Chops with Leeks in Mustard Sauce
Adapted from Bon Appetit May 2009
4 - 1 to 1 1/2 inch bone in pork rib chops
2 tsp coarse kosher salt
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 bacon slices, coarsely chopped
Olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only, about 3 large)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup brandy
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp finely chopped fresh sage
2 TBL dijon mustard
1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

Pat chops dry with paper towels.  Mix 2 tsp coarse salt, thyme, rosemary and 1 tsp pepper in small bowl. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chops and let stand at room temperature for 1-2 hours or wrap and chill up to 1 day.

Heat heavy large skillet over medium heat.  Add bacon and saute until crisp and lightly browned.  Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to small bowl. Increase heat to medium-high.  Add chops to skillet.  Sear until brown and cooked through, 3 to 7 minutes per side.  The thickest part of chop should be 140 to 150 degrees F.)  Transfer to plate and cover to keep warm.

Pour off all but 3 TBL of drippings from skillet (or add olive oil if you don't have enough grease).  Add leeks and saute until soft, about 7 minutes.  Add garlic and stir 1 minute.  Add brandy, then broth and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits.  Boil until all liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes.  Whisk in mustard, then creme fraiche or sour cream.  Do not boil or it will curdle.  Season with salt and pepper if needed.  Spoon over chops.