Baked Apple Pork Loin Chops...

Baked Apple Pork Loin Chops

• 8, tart, crisp apples, peeled (4 roughly chopped, 4 sliced thinly)
• a little bit of water
• 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, divided in half
• 1/4 tsp. summer savory or thyme
• 1 tsp.brown sugar
• 8, 1" thick pork loin chops
• a small bit of oil for searing chops

Preheat oven to 350°

Place chopped apples and a little water (about 1/8th of a cup to start) in a small saucepan, simmer until apples soften (adding more water during cooking if necessary).  Mash apples with a potato masher and stir in half of the pumpkin pie spice and the brown sugar.  Congratulations, you just made applesauce!

Drizzle a little oil in a frying pan and sear both sides of each pork chop.

Toss the sliced apples in the savory and the remaining 1/8th teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.

Spread half of the sliced apples on the bottom of a large baking dish.  Lay the chops on top of the apples and slather each chop with a spoonful of applesauce.  Top with remaining apples.  Cover with foil and bake at 350° for one hour.  Uncover and continue to bake for another 20 minutes. 

Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.  When you serve it, be sure to top it with some of the apples that were at the bottom, too.  Yum!