Pork Chops with Roasted Poblano Sauce

Big news everyone - I bought a cast iron skillet! I've wanted one for a while but always thought they were crazy expensive. Turns out the un-coated ones are really affordable - like $25 affordable. I bought mine from Sur la Table, but found the exact same one on Amazon for about $10 cheaper.

So what's the big deal about cast iron skillets?
1. First and foremost - they look cool
2. Untreated pan = no toxic fumes = you will may live forever
3. You'll boost your iron intake when you eat foods cooked in them (see note above about eternal life)
4. They maintain an even heat and are great for high-temperature cooking/searing, so you can impress people by cooking a steak inside that they will actually want to eat

I wanted to try this baby out and I thought I'd christen it with some enormous pork chops. You guys - these things were GIGANTIC. Probably a solid 1.5 inches thick. It all seemed very Fred Flintstone - minus the electric range, cast iron skillet, and iPhone to take pics. I made these with an awesome roasted poblano sauce in the same pan, which required a little bit of prep but came together pretty quickly. I'd definitely recommend this!

Massive

 Recipe adapted from here
You'll need:
2 bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick each
Salt and pepper
2 T butter or oil, divided
2 medium poblano peppers
1/4 small onion, chopped
1/4 c cilantro 
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t ground cumin
1/4 c chicken broth
1/3 c heavy whipping cream (I used fat free half and half, it was weird, don't do it)
Additional salt and pepper

Turn your broiler to high and roast the poblanos a few inches off the broiler, turning to get all sides charred. This took me about 2 minutes per side. Charred and black is what you're going for - this makes the skin way easier to peel off. Pro-tip: if your peppers have long stems, snip them off. Mine caught on fire! Don't tell Curtis!

So fresh and so green green

The right stem is shorter because it burst into flames

Place the poblanos in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool, then rub the skin to remove as much as possible. I ended up just pulling the stem and seeds out with my hands at this point, but you can also cut them out if you're feeling it. Finely chop in a food processor or blender with the 1/4 chopped onion and 1/4 cup cilantro and set aside. Don't have a processor or blender? Just cut it all up with a knife, NBD.

Pork time! Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel and season both sides with salt and peppah. In a large [CAST IRON IF YOU'RE COOL] skillet over medium-high heat heat 1 tablespoon of the butter or oil. Add the chops and brown on the first side for about 3 minutes. Turn the chops over and reduce heat to medium. Cook through, about 7 more minutes (or until the center of the chop is 135F). Since I got dinosaur-sized pork chops, I cooked mine for 5 minutes on the first side and 10 minutes on the second. Remove chops to a plate and tent with foil. 

Seriously - enormous

Sauce time! Add remaining butter or oil to the pan and let melt. Add the minced garlic and cumin and let it get fragrant - about 1 minute. Add the chopped poblanos/onion/cilantro and the broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes until broth is mostly evaporated. Stir in the cream and warm through, then add any accumulated pan juices from da chops. Finally, salt and pepper to taste.

I plated up a whole one for the pic, but I swear this lasted me 3 meals. I broiled some asparagus and mushrooms on the side - just place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, add some salt and pepper, and broil for about 5 minutes (shaking the pan halfway through). Voila!