Bone-in Pork Chop with Braised Apple and Mustard Greens

Lay the pork chops out on a wire rack over a half sheet pan and season liberally with kosher salt on all 4 sides. Let rest on the rack at room temperature for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300°. Cut the stem, core each apple, and trim a ½-inch round off the bottom of each, so when served, the apple appears whole. Place the 4 cored apples cut-side down in a Dutch oven with the cider, cinnamon stick, star anise, peppercorns, and a pinch salt. Cover with lid and braise for 1 hour, or until tender but not mushy.

As the apples are cooking, preheat a castiron skillet over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice and zest together with ¼ cup olive oil and a pinch salt and ground black pepper. Set vinaigrette aside.

In the preheated cast-iron skillet, add remaining olive oil and sear the pork chops over medium-high heat, approximately 5 to 8 minutes per side, until the internal temperature reaches 140°. Remove chops from pan and let rest for 5 minutes. Drain any grease from the pan.

Once apples are tender, remove from the oven and remove apples from the braising liquid and set aside. Strain the braising liquid and add it directly to the skillet used to sear the pork chops. Reduce the braising liquid by ½ and remove from heat. Add butter, whisking constantly to incorporate. Dress the cleaned mustard greens with the vinaigrette, and assemble each plate with a braised apple, rested bone-in chop, and dressed mustard greens. Spoon the sauce over the apple and the chop and enjoy!