Bon Appétit's Pork Chops with Chiles Rellenos and Ancho Sauce.

Remember the cold cucumber soup post where I mentioned how I was waiting for my mom to follow through and get me that subscription to Bon Appétit that she told me she was gifting me three months ago?

WELL, the kind people at Bon Appétit emailed me to make sure there was nothing wrong with my subscription, which made me finally ask my mom point blank: what's up with my B.A. 'scrip? and well, long story short, she "forgot to send the thingy in." Thankfully, she's assured me that she's now on top of it.

OK, so to thank Bon Appétit for the kind words said about my blog and checking up on my subscription, Matt and I decided to go for a doozy. I know what you're thinking. Pork chops? But Bon Appetempt, Pork chops are simple! A) Stop yelling at me, and b) Not always.

Bon Appétit's version:

our version:

See those potatoes? They are going to end up INSIDE the peppers. Believe it.

Preparing the peppers was a process. First we had to roast the peppers which involved taking their skins off. Though I'm not exactly sure why the skin needed to be removed. Anyone know? Anyone??
The filling was a process too, one that involved chopping the potatoes into tiny 1/3 inch pieces. And for cautious people like me, this can be time consuming--but I don't want to complain. (This is a gratitude post?) I mean, we're talking about some delicious ingredients: cheddar cheese, potatoes, and oregano.And these guys did not disappoint. They're what I imagine royalty gets when they order jalapeno poppers.

I once messed up saying the word ingredients by saying ingrediERTS. Matt will not let me live it down.

Strangely, the trickiest part of all was finding some organic bone-in pork chops. Some sort of event cleaned out three different stores in our area. So, Matt was forced to step out and hit up Huntington Meats in The Farmer's Market.

To everyone's surprise, Matt came home with extra "panties," apparently given to him after bonding with the butcher in a conversation that, from what I've gathered, went something like this:

Matt: "Can you French two of those pork chops?"

Jim the Butcher: "No problem. Special guests comin' for dinner tonight?"

Matt: "Nah, we just Bon Appetemptin'."

Jim nods, knowingly.

Jim: "I'll throw in extra panties!"

Matt shoots Jim a concerned, confused look.

Matt: "Panties?"

And then he handed Matt these:

So, uhm, here are the chops in their unders?
Seasoned with ancho chile powder and salt, resting at room temperature for 2 hours before they're to be cooked:
The finished dish was one of the most satisfying meals we've had in weeks. The chile relleno was decadent and the pork in the ancho sauce sauce was so flavorful.
Matt says it's his favorite savory attempt to date, but I disagree. What about that crazy lemongrass broth with fried tofu and the poached egg? How quickly he forgets. Also: The EAT LOCAL t-shirt giveaway is accepting entries until SEPTEMBER 16th. Get in there!

RECIPE via Bon Appétit.

INGREDIENTS

6 large fresh poblano chiles, stemmed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
12 ounces unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes or baby Dutch potatoes, cut into 1/3-inch cubes (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 1/4 cups coarsely grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano plus oregano leaves for garnish
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup orange juice
5 teaspoons ancho chile powder, divided
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Italian double-concentrated tomato paste*
1 cinnamon stick
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
6 1-inch-thick pork loin chops on bone, frenched
Olive oil

*Available in tubes at some supermarkets and at Italian markets.

PREPARATION

Char chiles over gas flame or in broiler until blackened all over. Place chiles in bowl; cover tightly with plastic wrap and let steam 15 minutes. Peel, leaving stem intact (do not tear flesh of chiles). Using small sharp knife, cut 1 long slit down side of each chile; carefully remove seeds. Toast cumin seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat until slightly darkened and aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes. Set chiles and cumin aside.

Line rimless baking sheet with foil. Cook potatoes in large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Transfer potatoes to medium bowl; cool. Add cheese, chopped oregano, and toasted cumin; stir to distribute evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Carefully fill chiles with potato mixture, about 1/3 to 1/2 cup filling for each. Working with 1 chile at a time, hold in palm and squeeze gently to compress lightly. Place stuffed chiles on prepared sheet. Combine broth, juice, 2 teaspoons chile powder, and next 4 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until slightly thickened and reduced to 2/3 cup, 8 to 9 minutes. DO AHEAD Chiles and sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill separately. Let chiles return to room temperature before continuing.

Mix 3 teaspoons chile powder and 1 tablespoon coarse salt in small bowl. Sprinkle mixture over pork chops; let stand at room temperature up to 2 hours.
Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Brush pork with oil. Place pork chops on 1 side of grill. Transfer chiles on foil to opposite side of grill. Grill pork chops until just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side; transfer to plate and let rest 10 minutes. Grill chiles until cheese melts, about 15 minutes.
Rewarm sauce. Place 1 pork chop and 1 chile on each plate. Drizzle sauce over, sprinkle with oregano leaves, and serve.