- 2 pork chops on the bone, 3cm/1in thick
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 20g/½oz unsalted butter
- 4 medium potatoes (preferably Maris Piper or King Edward), cut into 1cm/½in and place in a bowl of cold water
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 2 pinches sea salt
- 2 pinches freshly ground black pepper
- 20g/½oz unsalted butter
- handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- ½ shallot, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 8 leaves sage, deep-fried for one minute until crisp
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- For the pork chops, season the chops with the salt and scatter the black pepper over them, pressing it firmly into the chops on each side.
- On a medium heat, in a large frying pan, heat the butter until foaming, but without letting it burn.
- Raise the heat to medium high, lay the chops in the foaming butter and cook for four minutes on each side for medium.
- Transfer the chops to a warm plate with tongs. Pour 100ml/3½fl oz cold water into the hot pan. There will be a lot of sizzling, and the water and butter will create an emulsion. Scrape the base of the pan with a wooden spoon to release the caramelised residue, which will give taste and colour to the juice. Continue to heat for a minute or so until the liquid reduces in volume to a rich sauce.
- For the sauté potatoes, blanch the diced potatoes in a pan of boiling water for 30 seconds, then drain in a colander and allow the steam to escape for a minute or two. (Of course you can cook the potatoes from raw, but they may brown too quickly as they have a high starch content. By blanching them you are neutralising the starches, giving the potato a better texture and colour.)
- On a high heat, in a large frying pan, gently fry the diced potatoes in the oil, season with salt and pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes stirring every minute until golden-brown.
- For the persillade, mix together all the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Reduce the heat of the potatoes, add the butter and two-thirds of the persillade. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- To serve, pour the juices from the deglazed chop pan onto the steaks and serve with the sautéed potatoes, crisp sage leaves and Dijon mustard.