By America’s Test Kitchen

Thick-cut bone-in pork chops deliver the succulence of a larger roast but cook in just 10 to 15 minutes, making them perfect weeknight treats. They stand up to high heat and bold flavors, so it was natural to pair them with roasted root vegetables and to season everything well for a memorably flavor-packed meal. Roasting the chops on a rimmed baking sheet meant that there was plenty of room to cook our side at the same time. Since pork chops cook relatively quickly, we partially roasted the vegetables—a rustic mix of thick-sliced Yukon Gold potatoes, carrot spears, and fennel wedges—to give them a head start. For a bold hit of flavor, we tossed them with fresh rosemary and peeled whole garlic cloves, which turned deliciously creamy when roasted. Once the vegetables had softened and taken on some color, we added our pork chops, which we’d seasoned with pepper, salt, paprika, and coriander for a deeply flavored crust. Finally, we whisked together a simple parsley vinaigrette to drizzle over the pork, ensuring that our meal would end on an herbal note. 

Roasted Pork Chops and Vegetables with Parsley Vinaigrette

Total Time: 1¼ hours

Ingredients

1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced crosswise ½ inch thick

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch lengths, thick ends quartered lengthwise

1 fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and cut into ½-inch-thick wedges

10 garlic cloves, peeled

2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary or ¾ teaspoon dried

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2¾ teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1½ teaspoons pepper, divided

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground coriander

4 (12-ounce) bone-in pork rib or center-cut chops, 1 to 1½ inches thick, trimmed

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

4 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 small shallot, minced

1/8 teaspoon sugar

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss potatoes, carrots, and fennel with garlic, rosemary, 1 tablespoon oil, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in bowl and spread in single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Roast until beginning to soften, about 25 minutes.

2. Combine 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, paprika, and coriander in bowl. Using sharp knife, cut 2 slits, about 2 inches apart, through fat on edge of each pork chop. Pat chops dry with paper towels, rub with 1 teaspoon oil, then sprinkle with spice mixture.

3. Arrange pork chops on top of vegetables and continue to roast until pork registers 145 degrees and vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through roasting.

4. Remove sheet from oven and let pork chops rest for 5 minutes. Whisk parsley, vinegar, shallot, sugar, remaining oil, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Drizzle vinaigrette over pork and vegetables. Serve. 

Serves: 4

Used, with permission, from The Complete Autumn & Winter Cookbook (America’s Test Kitchen, 2021), americastestkitchen.com.