August 2020
This grilled pork chop dish has three distinct components: brined and grilled pork chops, summery peach salsa and tangy smashed potatoes. You’ll save time with some smart multitasking. As the meat brines, you can prep the peach salsa and cook the tangy smashed potatoes, which are essentially skin-on mashed potatoes that are heavy on texture and light on butter and cream. When it’s time to light up the grill, you can give the tenderized pork chops your full attention.
Ingredients
- 6 cups cold water
- 1/3 cup kosher salt, plus more to season
- 4 smashed garlic cloves
- 4 bone-in pork chops (at least 1-inch thick)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or salt-free spice or dry rub
- 1 medium peach
- 2 medium beefsteak tomatoes, quartered, seeds removed
- ½ medium red onion
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, skin on, quartered
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 lime
Tools
- Large bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Whisk
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Small bowl
- Large pot
- Potato masher or two forks
- Grill
- Grill tongs or spatula
Instructions
1. Prepare the pork.
In a large bowl, whisk water and salt until dissolved. Add garlic. Submerge pork chops in brine, and let them sit, refrigerated, for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the salsa and potatoes.
2. Prepare the salsa.
Finely chop the peach, tomato, onion, and parsley. Squeeze in the lime juice, and season with salt. Refrigerate the peach salsa until you’re ready to eat.
3. Cook the smashed potatoes.
In a large pot, cover the skin-on potatoes with at least 4 inches of water. Bring everything to a boil, then boil for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender. Drain the potatoes, and return them to the pot off the heat. Add butter and Greek yogurt, and use a potato masher to roughly smash the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Leave the finished potatoes in the pot so that you can reheat them.
4. Grill the pork chops.
Preheat a grill with the burners on high, until the inside of the grill is at least 450°F. Remove the chops from the brine, and dry them with paper towels. Grill the chops over high heat, about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown grill marks appear. Turn the burners down to medium heat, and continue to grill chops until a thermometer inserted into the thickest piece reads 145°. Let the chops rest for 5 minutes while you reheat the potatoes in the pot over medium heat, stirring often. To serve, garnish each pork chop with a heaping spoonful of peach salsa.
Kids Can!
- Mix brine.
- Stir salsa.
- Smash potatoes with butter and yogurt.
