Pork Chops with Cherry Sauce, Fried Japanese Sweet Potatoes, and Dragon Tongue Beans

Pan-Seared Pork Chops

Thick chops develop a deep crust without drying out. Resting before slicing keeps their juices in the meat rather than on the cutting board.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless pork loin chops, 1–1¼ inches thick, about 7–8 ounces each
• 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ghee

Instructions

1. Season the chops with salt and pepper and refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes, or up to overnight. Pat the surfaces dry before cooking.
2. Heat the oven to 375°F. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat and add the ghee.
3. Sear the chops without crowding until deeply browned, about 3 minutes per side. Briefly hold any fat edges against the pan to render and brown them.
4. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook for approximately 5–10 minutes, checking early with an instant-read thermometer. Remove each chop when its center reaches 145°F.
5. Transfer to a warm plate and rest for 5–8 minutes. Reserve the skillet and resting juices for the cherry sauce, leaving behind about 1 tablespoon of fat and discarding any excess.

Notes

• Use two skillets or sear in batches if needed; crowded chops steam rather than brown.
• Judge doneness by temperature, not the color of the sliced meat.

Fresh Cherry–Shallot Sauce

Fresh cherries supply sweetness and body while vinegar and pork fond keep the sauce firmly savory. A little butter gives the loose reduction a glossy finish.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces fresh sweet cherries, pitted and halved
• 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
• ½ cup unsalted gluten-free chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
• to taste sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. After removing the pork, return its skillet to medium-low heat. Add the shallot to the reserved pan fat and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring until softened.
2. Add the cherries, stock, and vinegar. Scrape up the browned bits and simmer for 6–8 minutes, until the cherries soften but retain their shape and the liquid lightly coats a spoon.
3. Add the pork resting juices and simmer briefly. Remove from the heat and swirl in the cold butter.
4. Season with salt, pepper, and a little additional vinegar if the cherries taste very sweet. Keep the sauce spoonable rather than reducing it to a sticky glaze.

Notes

• If the sauce gets too thick, loosen it with a tablespoon or two of water or stock.
• Leave out any blackened, bitter pan residue rather than incorporating it into the sauce.

Fried Japanese Sweet Potato Rounds

Precooking sets up a creamy center, while drying and frying the cut surfaces creates a crisp, caramelized crust. Keeping the purple skins on helps the thick rounds hold together.

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds Japanese sweet potatoes, scrubbed, preferably about 2 inches in diameter
• 3 tablespoons ghee, divided
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste

Instructions

1. Place the whole sweet potatoes in a steamer over simmering water. Cover and steam for 25–35 minutes, until a thin knife enters the center with only slight resistance; avoid cooking them until they fall apart.
2. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then cut crosswise into ¾-inch-thick rounds. Spread on a tray and allow the cut surfaces to dry.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the rounds in a single layer and fry for 4–5 minutes per side, until richly golden with crisp edges.
4. Work in batches as needed, adding the remaining ghee when the skillet looks dry. Season with salt while hot and transfer to a rack rather than stacking.

Notes

• The sweet potatoes can be steamed a day ahead and refrigerated whole. Slice and dry them before frying.
• Keep the heat moderate: their natural sugars can scorch before the surfaces become evenly crisp.

Dragon Tongue Beans with Lemon and Olive Oil

Gentle steaming keeps the broad pods tender with a little bite. Lemon and olive oil brighten the beans without competing with the cherry sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 pound dragon tongue beans, stem ends trimmed
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• to taste freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Steam the beans over simmering water for 5–8 minutes, until tender but still offering a little resistance when bitten.
2. Drain well and toss gently with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve warm, keeping the pods whole.

Notes

• The purple markings naturally fade during cooking; prioritize tenderness rather than trying to preserve every streak.

Overall Timing / Workflow

Starting with the sweet potatoes leaves time to prepare everything else. The sauce cooks while the pork rests, and the beans finish just before serving.

Instructions

1. 0:00 — Season the pork and start steaming the sweet potatoes.
2. 0:10 — Pit and halve the cherries, slice the shallot, and trim the beans. Measure the sauce ingredients.
3. 0:30 — Check the sweet potatoes and remove them when just tender. Heat the oven to 375°F and let the potatoes cool enough to slice.
4. 0:40 — Begin searing the pork. Slice and dry the sweet potato rounds, then start frying them in a separate skillet.
5. 0:47 — Transfer the pork skillet to the oven. Continue frying the potatoes in batches and hold finished rounds on a rack in a low oven if needed.
6. 0:55 — Once the pork reaches 145°F, set it aside to rest and begin the cherry sauce in its skillet. Steam the beans.
7. 1:05 — Finish the sauce with butter, dress the beans, and taste all components. Slice the rested pork and plate immediately.

Notes

• Times vary with the diameter of the sweet potatoes and thickness of the chops; follow tenderness and temperature cues.

Plating

Keeping the potatoes beside rather than beneath the sauce preserves their crisp surfaces. Sliced pork gives the cherry sauce plenty of edges to cling to.

Instructions

1. Slice each rested chop across the grain into thick slices and arrange in a loose fan on a warm plate.
2. Spoon the cherries and sauce over the pork, allowing a small pool to collect around it.
3. Place several sweet potato rounds at one side and a generous bundle of whole beans at the other. Keep most of the sauce away from the potatoes.

Leftover Path

Separate storage protects the potatoes from moisture and allows the pork to be reheated gently without overcooking the vegetables.

Instructions

1. Refrigerate pork, sauce, potatoes, and beans in separate airtight containers within 2 hours of cooking. Use within 3–4 days.
2. Reheat the potatoes in a 400°F oven or air fryer until hot and crisp, about 8–12 minutes.
3. Warm the pork gently, covered, with the cherry sauce and a splash of water or stock until it reaches 165°F. Avoid prolonged boiling.
4. Warm the beans briefly in a covered pan with a splash of water, or serve them chilled with a fresh squeeze of lemon.