Wild Mushroom & Sage Pork Chops with Crispy Sage Leaves

For Christmas, my friend Barbara gave me a bottle of Harissa olive oil from a new place in Jacksonville, FL, called The Olive Oil Store. As soon as I opened the bottle, I knew there was something special about this new find. The olive oil is so fragrant and high-quality! Within a couple of days, I made a trip, myself, to The Olive Oil Store to explore, and after spending way too much time tasting almost every infused oil & vinegar they carry, I left with six 6 oz. bottles of olive oils & Balsamics - and a little tummy ache from consuming so much oil!

Later that evening, I chose to begin experimenting with the Wild Mushroom & Sage olive oil to marinate the pork chops in, and what better accompaniment than crispy sage leaves? This meal was a huge hit, and I can't wait to make it again! I paired the pork chops with a delicious salad - I'll post that recipe soon. I recommend making a simple, fresh salad along with this dish.

Ingredients:

• Thick-cut bone-in pork chops
• Wild Mushroom & Sage olive oil from The Olive Oil Store (or any other good-quality savory infused olive oil)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Kosher Salt

Directions:

Place pork chops in a baking dish. Pat them dry with a paper towel. Generously drizzle with Wild Mushroom and Sage olive oil (or whatever infused oil you have), and sprinkle with salt & pepper. 

Cover, and let marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Begin making crispy sage leaves (see recipe below for timing).

10 minutes before you are ready to cook the chops, move the baking rack to the second to the top position in the oven, and turn the broiler on high. Broiler should be ready after heating up for 10 minutes. Place pork chops on a broiling pan, and place in the oven. Broil the chops for 8 minutes (don't worry, there will probably be a little bit of smoke coming out of the oven). After 8 minutes, if the pork chops are beginning to brown nicely, turn them over & broil them for another 8 minutes. At this point, they should be nice & crispy on the outside, and perfectly moist on the inside. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature, just to be sure. The inside temp. should read 150 degrees. When the chops are finished cooking, let them sit for 5 minutes before serving. Top with crispy sage leaves (recipe below) and ENJOY! 

Crispy Sage Leaves 

Recipe from Poulet

The caption under this recipe reads, "Fried sage leaves are better than candy." Who wouldn't want to make these?!

You will need:

• 1 cup olive oil
• 16 fresh sage leaves
• Flaky salt for finishing

Directions:

Pour the olive oil into a large frying pan over very low heat. Lay the sage leaves in the pan with the oil. They will cook slowly as the oil warms, becoming crispy and delicious in 25-30 minutes. Remove them from the oil gently with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle with flaky salt while still warm and serve.