Recipe of the week: Perfect chutney and thyme pork chops

This recipe draws on the classic combination of traditional sweet and savoury flavours to create a delightfully well-rounded Spring time dish using chutney, red wine and other jars or bottles you might have received as a gift that youd like to use. It serves four and is best served with a peppery rocket and watercress salad to counter the sweetness of the chutney.

Ingredients

4 pork chops
Salt and pepper
Fresh thyme
8-10 potatoes, sliced 1 large red onion, sliced

For the sauce:

150ml real ale chutney
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
250ml Cabernet Sauvignon
100ml beef stock

Directions

Rub the chops and with the salt, pepper and crushed thyme. The red onion should be sliced into strips and scattered over the pork chops before roasting.

Mix all of the sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl along with a crushed handful of thyme. Heat in a saucepan until the juices have emulsified.

Oven cook: pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6 (200 degrees Centigrade). Grease a large baking dish with olive oil and finish seasoning the chops with rock salt and cracked black pepper. Place the sliced potatoes evenly around the dish and delicately place the pork chops on top, allowing the juices to run into the herby potatoes. Pour the sauce evenly over the chops. Cook for 2530 minutes until the potatoes are golden brown.

Alternatively, grill (without potatoes): thick chops require a slower heat in order to cook right through without drying them out. Preheat the grill and turn over after one minute. Turn the heat down to medium after two minutes and let them cook for a further 8 minutes, turning occasionally.