A Dinner With Some Real Chops

DEAR SOS: I lived in Kentucky for a short while, and I sure miss Jack Fry’s in Louisville. Could you get the recipe for their delicious pork chops? They are the best I’ve ever had in a restaurant.

ALICIA MOISA-DURAN

Whittier

DEAR ALICIA: Were they also the biggest? These pork chops are huge, but not simple. They’re all dressed up.

Send requests to Culinary SOS, Food Section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 or e-mail to: cindy.dorn@latimes.com. Please include your last name and city of residence for publication. Include restaurant address when requesting recipes from restaurants.

*

Jack Fry’s Pork Chops

Active Work Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 2 hours, 5 minutes

ROSEMARY DIJON BUTTER

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Thoroughly combine the butter, rosemary and mustard in a food processor. Set aside 2 tablespoons and reserve the rest for another use.

BREADING

2 cups fresh bread crumbs

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped chives

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

Combine the bread crumbs, rosemary, chives, parsley and sage in a food processor.

TOPPING

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

5 new potatoes, quartered and blanched

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 onions, diced

1 cup chicken stock

16 cloves garlic, peeled and blanched

3/4 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

4 slices applewood-smoked bacon, diced

8 spears asparagus, blanched and cut into 2-inch pieces

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook the potatoes, stirring often, until golden brown and cooked through, 12 to 13 minutes. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat another teaspoon of oil. Add the sugar and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar becomes dark brown like syrup. Add the onions and chicken stock and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in the same skillet used for the potatoes, heat 1/2 teaspoon of oil over medium-high heat and add the garlic. Cook until golden brown, 2 1/2 minutes; remove the garlic and reserve.

Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of oil to the skillet and cook the mushrooms over medium-high heat until tender, 3 minutes. Remove and set aside. Cook the bacon in the skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until crisp, 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels, reserving the bacon fat in the skillet; set the skillet aside for the Vermouth Sauce.

Combine the potatoes, onion and stock mixture, the garlic, mushrooms, bacon and asparagus in a large bowl. Set aside and keep warm.

VERMOUTH SAUCE

1 tablespoon reserved bacon fat

1/2 cup dry vermouth

3 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

Salt, pepper

Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the skillet and reserve. Add the vermouth and cook over high heat, scraping up any browned bits in the bottom of the skillet, until the vermouth is reduced by half, 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and rosemary and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

PORK CHOPS

4 (12-ounce) center-cut rib pork chops

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Breading

1 tablespoon reserved bacon fat

Topping

Vermouth Sauce

2 tablespoons Rosemary Dijon Butter

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Brush the pork chops on both sides with the Dijon mustard. Season with the salt and pepper. Coat the pork chops with the Breading.

Heat the bacon fat in a large skillet over high heat and sear the chops on both sides, working in 2 batches, if necessary, 1 1/2 minutes a side. Place on a jellyroll pan and bake until the internal temperature of the chops reaches 160 degrees, 30 minutes.

Place the pork chops on serving plates and top with the warm vegetable Topping. Deglaze the pork chop skillet with the Vermouth Sauce over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits. Add the Rosemary Dijon Butter, tilting and swirling the pan so that the butter melts and the sauce thickens. Pour over the chops and serve.

4 servings. Each serving: 770 calories; 848 mg sodium; 143 mg cholesterol; 40 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 52 grams protein; 4.71 grams fiber.