Baked Chops with Local Apples

I love this time of year, with all the apples we can get ! And, who doesn't love to pair them with some beautiful, organic pork, butchered at home ?

This was a really easy dinner to put together, but so wonderful and comforting as we ease into the cold weather. We had some mashed potatoes and stuffing frozen from last year's Thanksgiving, so I was looking for a way to use the last of those, before we start our next freezer run.

We took a trip to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market, and purchased some local Regent apples. I must admit my initial target was Honey Crisp, but I wanted to buy a multi-purpose apple that was tasty to eat and also good for cooking and this fit the bill.

This only took 15 minutes prep time for the main dish, side dish out of the freezer, and it was perfect for a mid-week dinner !

Baked Chops with Local Apples
2 six-eight ounce bone in pork chops
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 large Regent apple, diced
Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8 by 8 pan with non-stick. Rinse chops and rub in salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme and let rest for 30 minutes. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and let sit for another 10 minutes. In the meantime, arrange onions and apples in the bottom of the baking pan. Dot with butter and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Lay chops across the top, and bake, covered with foil, for 45 miuntes. Remove foil and baked an additional 15-20 minutes until fat is crispy. Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve with your favorite side dish, topped with the apples and onions.