Pork Loin Chops in Green Peppercorn Sauce

Over the past few years, I’ve gotten pretty dang good at reading recipes. I can usually tell right away if something will be good, and if not, what about it needs to be tweaked. So when this pork loin dish in green peppercorn sauce came out far better than I expected? Well I was blown away. I didn’t let on though – made out like I knew all along it’d be that Bombshell. Shhh.

I’ve got a couple of teenage boys, and since Man-Cubs tend to run in packs, there are often 4-5 of the critters around my house. I love that when I’m testing out recipes – it’s hard NOT to get honest feedback from organisms that are years away from developing the slightest notion of tact. This past weekend I had been working on several, and I’d had several successes in a row. I threw this pork loin recipe together in about fifteen minutes. I expected the green peppercorn sauce to be good, but I expected the boys to balk at something as exotic as a green peppercorn sauce with white wine. So I casually placed the platter on the counter and didn’t name it – just yelled for taste testers. With sounds similar to a herd of wildebeasts approaching, they hit the platter (no plates, just forks. Barely.) There was a moment of silence while the first tastes were evaluated, then a full scale shuffle broke out while they jostled to get as much as possible. When the dust cleared I saw four young faces smiling happily, eyes closed dreamily, and one sneaky nine year old licking the platter. (He’s still short enough to come in from underneath and get the good stuff).

I think Pork Loin in Green Peppercorn Sauce is an unqualified success. I’ve already had a request that it appear at the approaching birthday dinner. The fact that it's fast, easy and inexpensive is just icing on the cake. Anything that hits that level of deliciousness goes to the very top of my Most Bombshell Dishes – and this one tops that list!

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 boneless pork loin chops
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2-3 medium shallots, minced, about ½ cup
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons drained and crushed green peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, to garnish

Pork in Green Peppercorn Sauce - Directions

1. With a large, heavy bottomed skillet, heat oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium high heat. Season pork on both sides with salt and pepper.

2. Cook chops on each side for about 2 minutes, or until lightly golden on each side. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. Add another tablespoon butter to the skillet and sauté shallots and garlic for about a minute, or until shallots are soft. Add wine and simmer until the wine is reduced by half, about 8 minutes or so. Stir in cream, bring to a simmer, and cook until the cream reduces by half, another 8 minutes or so.

4. Reduce heat to medium low, and whisk in mustard, remaining butter and the green peppercorns, stirring well to fully incorporate mustard. Return the pork to the pan along with any juices, and cook for about 3-4 minutes, until loin chops are heated through. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.