Pork and Apple Cider Braise with Potatoes
Pork browned until golden, then simmered in dry cider with sliced apples and potatoes until everything is tender and the sauce coats each piece. A cozy one-pan dinner that leans on the pork for protein.
- Total
- 105 min
- Prep 20 · Cook 75 · Rest 10
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Medium
You'll practice: Searing · Braising
- Savory
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Cut the porc into 4 cm chunks and pat them dry with paper towel. Peel the pommes de terre and cut them into 3 cm chunks. Core the pommes and cut each into 8 wedges. Season the porc all over with 0.75 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper.
~15 min
Drying the pork ensures it browns rather than steams, and salting early seasons the meat throughout.
-
Heat the olive oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add the porc in a single layer and brown it undisturbed for 3 minutes, then turn the pieces and brown 3 minutes more, until deep golden on two sides. Work in two batches if the pan is crowded, about 12 minutes total. Transfer the porc to a plate.
~18 min
Browning the pork in a hot pan creates Maillard flavor compounds that give the cider sauce its depth.
Dry the pork well before it hits the pan: surface moisture steams instead of browning, and the golden crust is what gives the cider sauce its depth.
Searing Get the pan hot and leave the pork undisturbed for a deep golden crust; crowding steams the meat instead of browning it.
-
Pour the cidre into the hot pan and scrape the browned bits from the bottom with the wooden spoon. Return the porc and any juices to the pan, bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook 25 minutes.
~25 min
Deglazing with cider lifts the browned bits, dissolving them into the sauce for extra flavor.
Braising Keep the liquid at a gentle simmer, not a boil, so the meat stays tender and the vegetables hold their shape.
-
While the pork simmers, keep the potatoes and apple wedges ready. Uncover the pan, nestle the pommes de terre and pommes among the porc, cover again, and simmer 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife and the pork reaches 63°C/145°F.
~30 min
Simmering gently with the lid on cooks the potatoes and apples through without breaking them apart.
Braising Keep the liquid at a gentle simmer, not a boil, so the meat stays tender and the vegetables hold their shape.
-
Uncover, stir in the crème and the remaining 0.5 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper, and simmer uncovered 8 minutes, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon.
~8 min
Simmering uncovered reduces the cream and thickens the sauce so it clings to the meat and vegetables.
If the sauce is still thin after the uncovered simmer, lift out the meat and vegetables with a slotted spoon and boil the liquid 2 to 3 minutes more before returning them.
-
Take the pan off the heat and let the braise rest 10 minutes so the juices settle. Spoon the porc, pommes de terre and pommes onto plates with plenty of sauce.
~10 min
Resting the braise allows the juices to redistribute so they don't run out when serving.