Pork Loin Chops with Maple-Balsamic Sauce and Delicata Hash

This dish makes a real centerpiece, savory and a little sweet, worth setting the table for. Cooking something you are genuinely proud to serve is one honest way to take care of yourself, holiday or otherwise.

Pork loin is a lean source of protein, zinc, and B vitamins, the everyday materials your body uses to repair and steady itself. The hash brings color and fiber from the delicata squash, apple, and cranberry, kept modest in sweetness since the fruit itself is doing the work, and the orange flesh of the squash is a source of beta-carotene, which the body can convert toward vitamin A and which supports immune and mucosal health. A brightly colored plate is not just pretty here. It is the point.

Source the pork from an animal raised well, and let yourself feel a small gratitude for it before you cook. Then take the few minutes the sauce needs and let the squash crisp at its edges. Set the plate with some care. The state you bring to the table is part of how the meal serves you.

Ingredients

For the brine and rub:

• 4 center-cut pork loin chops (about 1 1/4 pounds)
• 4 cups water
• 1/4 cup sea salt
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar, plus more for the rub
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder, plus more for the rub
• dried rosemary, for topping

For the hash:

• 1 large delicata squash
• 2 red apples
• 1 cup fresh cranberries (or dried, added at serving)
• about 2 cups asparagus
• coconut oil
• ground cinnamon
• coconut sugar
• sea salt

For the maple-balsamic sauce:

• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• coconut sugar
• garlic powder

Method

Warm the water, sea salt, coconut sugar, and garlic powder together until the salt and sugar dissolve, then let the brine cool. Submerge the chops and brine them in the fridge at least 1 hour. This step keeps a lean cut from drying out.

Heat the oven to 400F and line two rimmed sheet pans. Slice the delicata into quarter-inch rings, scooping out the seeds and leaving the skin on. Cut the apples into thick wedges. Trim the asparagus and cut it into thirds.

Toss the squash, apples, and cranberries with a little melted coconut oil, cinnamon, and coconut sugar, and spread them on one pan. Dress the asparagus separately with oil and salt and keep it aside for now.

Pat the brined chops dry, coat them with a rub of coconut sugar and garlic powder, and top with dried rosemary. Set them on the second pan.

Roast the chops and the hash for about 25 minutes, adding the asparagus to the hash pan halfway through. Pull the pork when it reaches an internal temperature of 145F.

While the chops roast, simmer the maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, a little coconut sugar, and a pinch of garlic powder in a small saucepan until it coats the back of a spoon lightly. It will thicken further off the heat. Drizzle the sauce over the chops to serve.

Air fryer variation

The chops cook well in the air fryer if you would rather not heat the oven. Brine and rub them as above, then air fry at around 400F, turning once, until they reach an internal 145F (start checking near 12 to 15 minutes for chops of this thickness). Roast the hash in the oven as written, since a full tray of squash, apple, and asparagus is more than a basket holds. Times depend on your machine, so go by the thermometer, not the clock.

*Adapted from asquirrelinthekitchen.com*