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Balsamic Dijon
Pork Chops

with Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Roasted Green Beans

Tender braised pork chops in a rich Balsamic Dijon pan sauce, creamy garlic mashed potatoes and roasted green beans. Comfort food that looks like you worked a whole lot harder than you did.

Balsamic Dijon Pork Chops with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted green beans
♨
SERVES
2
◷
PREP
15 MIN
♨
COOK
60 MIN
★
DIFFICULTY
★★☆☆☆

WHAT YOU’RE MAKING

Balsamic Dijon Pork Chops
with Pan Sauce
Garlic
Mashed Potatoes
Roasted
Green Beans

THE DRINKS

Vodka Ginger Lime

PER PERSON
2 oz vodka
½ oz fresh lime juice
4 oz ginger ale
Ice
Lime wedge

Easy money. Fill a glass with ice. Add vodka and lime, top with ginger ale and give it a stir.

Wine move: Pinot Noir. Open it around 6:30 and pour when she arrives.

WHAT YOU NEED

Pork Chops + Pan Sauce

  • 2 bone-in pork loin chops, about 1–1¼ inches thick
  • 1½ Tbsp olive oil, divided
  • ¾ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • ½ medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¾ cup low-sodium beef broth
  • 1½ Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

  • 1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into chunks
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • ¼ cup half-and-half
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • Black pepper, to taste

Roasted Green Beans

  • 8 oz fresh green beans, trimmed
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • ½ tsp garlic powder

Gear

  • Large heavy skillet with a lid
  • Medium pot
  • Sheet pan
  • Potato masher
  • Tongs
  • Chef’s knife + cutting board
  • Measuring cups + spoons
  • Wooden spoon or spatula
  • Instant-read meat thermometer

BEFORE SHE GETS THERE

  • Dice the onion, mince the garlic, trim the green beans and cut the potatoes into chunks.
  • Measure the broth, balsamic, Dijon, brown sugar and Worcestershire before the skillet gets hot.
  • Set the table before you start cooking. You have enough going on later.
  • Get the cocktail stuff ready. Vodka, ginger ale, lime and ice. Have it all within reach — she came over for a date, not to watch you hunt for a bottle opener.
  • Clean as you go. A sink full of dirty pans is not part of the ambiance.
  • Get yourself ready. Take a shower. Put on a clean shirt. Easy on the cologne — she’s coming over for dinner, not walking through the fragrance department at Macy’s.
Kitchen looks under control.
Make sure you do too.
It's game time.

PLAY BY PLAY

  1. SEASON THE PORK
    Pat 2 bone-in pork loin chops, about 1–1¼ inches thick dry. Season both sides with ¾ tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp black pepper and ½ tsp dried thyme.
  2. SEAR THE CHOPS
    Heat 1 Tbsp of the divided olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the pork about 3–4 minutes per side. Move the chops to a plate.
  3. START THE SAUCE
    Drop the heat to medium. Add the remaining ½ Tbsp olive oil and ½ medium yellow onion, diced. Cook about 3 minutes. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook another 30 seconds.
  4. BUILD THE BALSAMIC DIJON SAUCE
    Add ¾ cup low-sodium beef broth, 1½ Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp light brown sugar and 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce. Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. That stuff is flavor — don’t leave it behind.
  5. LET THE PORK DO ITS JOB
    Return the 2 pork chops and any juices to the skillet. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, cover and turn the heat LOW. Cook 45–60 minutes. Once that lid goes on, stop screwing with it. The pork has a job. Let it work.
    YO DUDE!
    Don't trust the 45–60 minute clock blindly. Check the thickest part with the thermometer. The pork should be tender and properly cooked before you pull it. The clock gets you close. The pork makes the call.
  6. GET THE POTATOES GOING
    About 35 minutes before dinner, put 1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into chunks and 2 peeled garlic cloves into a medium pot. Cover with cold water, add a pinch from the ½ tsp kosher salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 15–18 minutes.
  7. ROAST THE GREEN BEANS
    Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss 8 oz trimmed fresh green beans with 1 Tbsp olive oil, ¼ tsp kosher salt, black pepper to taste and ½ tsp garlic powder. Roast 12–15 minutes.
  8. MASH THE POTATOES
    Drain the potatoes and garlic. Add 2 Tbsp butter and ¼ cup half-and-half, then mash together. Add black pepper to taste and taste before adding the rest of the ½ tsp kosher salt.
  9. FINISH THE SAUCE
    Move the pork to a plate. If the sauce looks thin, turn the heat to medium and cook uncovered 2–4 minutes. You want a rich pan sauce — not gravy you could patch drywall with. Taste and adjust sharp, sweet or salty if needed.
    S&S SAVE
    Sauce still too thin after a few minutes? Keep it uncovered and let it reduce. Too thick? Add a small splash of beef broth and stir it back together. We're looking for a sauce that coats the pork — not soup and not wallpaper paste.
  10. PLATE IT
    Garlic mashed potatoes first. Pork alongside. Spoon the Balsamic Dijon sauce over the chop and let a little run into the potatoes. Green beans on the side. Serve it hot. Get back to the date.

THE TIMELINE

5:55
Do the boring stuff. Dice onion, mince garlic, trim green beans, cut potatoes and measure the sauce ingredients.
6:05
Pork chops out. Pat dry and season with salt, pepper and thyme.
6:10
Sear. Medium-high skillet, 3–4 minutes per side. Move chops to a plate.
6:18
Build the sauce. Onion, garlic, broth, balsamic, Dijon, brown sugar and Worcestershire.
6:25
Pork back in. Cover it, turn the heat LOW and let it work.
6:30
Kitchen reset. Open the Pinot. Clear the counter. Get the sink under control.
6:40
Get yourself ready. Kitchen looks under control. Now make sure you do too. Take a shower. Put on a clean shirt. Easy on the cologne — she’s coming over for dinner, not walking through the fragrance department at Macy’s.
7:00
She’s here. Door. Music. Date. Pork is doing exactly what it’s supposed to be doing.
7:05
Drinks. Pour the Pinot or make the Vodka Ginger Limes.
7:10
Potatoes on. Potatoes and peeled garlic into cold salted water.
7:15
Oven to 425°F. Get the green beans seasoned and ready.
7:20
Green beans in. Roast 12–15 minutes.
7:28
Mash. Drain potatoes and garlic. Butter, half-and-half, pepper and taste.
7:32
Check the pork. Move chops out. Reduce the sauce uncovered if it needs tightening.
7:35
Green beans out. Keep them together and ready to plate.
7:37
Plate it. Potatoes, pork, Balsamic Dijon sauce, green beans.
7:40
Dinner. Food’s hot. Phone away. Get back to the date.

★ BONUS POINTS

  • BUILD A GRAVY CRATER: Put a small well in the mashed potatoes and let some of that Balsamic Dijon sauce run into it. You made the sauce. Use the damn sauce.
  • WARM THE PLATES: Put the plates in the turned-off warm oven for 2–3 minutes. Burning your fingerprints off is not a Bonus Point.
  • FIX THE LIGHTING: Kill the overhead lights. Lamps, candles, city lights — anything is better than serving dinner under lighting that makes the kitchen look like a DMV.
  • FINISH WITH FRESH THYME.
    A few fresh thyme leaves over the pork right before serving makes the whole plate look intentional. Don’t build a shrub on top. A little goes a long way.
  • GIVE THE GREEN BEANS SOME LEMON.
    Hit the roasted green beans with a small squeeze of fresh lemon right before they hit the plate. That little bit of acid wakes them up and cuts through the rich pork and potatoes.
  • SAVE SOME SAUCE FOR THE TABLE.
    Hold back a couple spoonfuls of Balsamic Dijon sauce in a small warm bowl. If she asks for more sauce, you’re ready. If she doesn’t, congratulations—you have extra sauce.

★ THE FINISH

Stop cooking. Start the date.
  1. POTATOES FIRST. Put the garlic mashed potatoes down first and make a little well in the middle.
  2. PORK + SAUCE. Set the pork chop alongside and spoon the Balsamic Dijon pan sauce over the chop and into the potatoes.
  3. KEEP THE GREEN BEANS TOGETHER. Keep the green beans together on the other side. We’re plating dinner, not feeding chickens.
  4. WIPE THE RIM. Wipe any splatters off the edge of the plate. That’s about as fancy as we’re getting.
  5. SERVE IT. GET BACK TO THE DATE. If the pork is tender, the potatoes are creamy, the food is hot and the sauce tastes good, you nailed it. Put the phone away. Get back to the date.
THE S&S PHOTO RULE Looks like the picture?
No? Perfect!
Pork chop leaning a little? Sauce went rogue? Good. You cooked dinner, not a magazine cover. Our pictures are for inspiration--not intimidation. Honest effort, amazing food, and the night is young.
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