Pork Chops with Apples and Onions

This must be a fall dish.

Because I've seen lots of variations of this recently.

The Pioneer Woman on Monday posted Pork Roast with Apples and Onions .

Her recipe looks delish.

This recipe was told to me from my friend from Uruguay. She said her father used to make it. It was his signature dish.

Something he made when family was over.

You roast it on a rack, to keep it from the juices. I used a cookie rack and cut a pork loin into slices.

Well, actually, the fireman did.

I may not have made it quite right, but she did say to layer the apples and onions.

I put the apples down first.

Then the onions and I baked it at 400 for about 35 minutes.

Until the pork loin was cooked and a little dry. The apples and onins dried out a little and infused the meat, like it was smoked with the apple and onion flavor.

Honestly?

Everyone in the house ate it. Even the kids. They ate a lot.

I was a little surprised as they gave me curious looks while cooking. I think I even got a frown from one of them during the layering process.

The smell? Cooking onions always smell heavenly, but you could smell the sweetness of the apples as well.

Yum.

The taste? Delicate. The flavors and smells were all there, but I wanted more flavor. It was by no means bad, it was quite good. But I wanted more flavor.

I added a little unsweetened applesauce on top of my pork chop and drizzled Dale's Sauce very slightly over it. Yum! A little BBQ sauce with this would be amazing as well. Not much to overpower the flavors, though. The oldest boy made a sandwich out of it.

I definitely will keep this recipe to make again. Everyone liked it!

But I want to try a mix between this and The Pioneer Woman's. I want to try cooking it with the juices, trimmed of most fat, of course. Maybe in a 9x13 with some beef broth, onions and apples on the bottom, to keep them moist, maybe add a little Dale's seasoning or onion soup mix or BBQ sauce. With the lid off to keep the meat a little dry. I like drier pork.

The juice would thicken and could be spooned over the meat like a sort of rich gravy.

But both ways, I think would be good. Depends on what you're looking for.

This version is a lighter, quicker meal. I paired it with green beans and wild rice. And like I said, it seems to be kid friendly.