Pork with Charred Apples, Mustard & Crispy Potatoes

Ingredients

• 850g baby potatoes, halved
• 4 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 pork loin steaks
• 100ml chicken stock
• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 shallot, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 eating apples, cored and sliced into wedges
• 1.5 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 70g rocket
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 15g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• Crusty sourdough bread, to serve
• Dressed green salad, to serve
• Crusty sourdough bread, to serve
• Dressed green salad, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220°C fan. Toss the halved potatoes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the thyme leaves, a generous pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Spread them cut-side down on a tray in a single layer — crowded potatoes steam instead of crisp — and roast for 35 to 40 minutes until the cut faces are deeply golden and the middles fluffy.
2. Pat the pork loin steaks dry with kitchen paper and season generously with salt and black pepper on both sides. Water on the surface means steam, and steam means no crust.
3. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat until it shimmers. Lay the pork in the pan in a single layer — if your pan is small, do two at a time. Crowd four steaks into one pan and they'll boil in their own juices instead of browning. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes a side until deeply caramelised and just cooked through, then rest on a warm plate.
4. Drop the apple wedges into the same pan with all those sticky pork bits still in place. Let them sit undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, so they catch dark at the edges but still hold their shape.
5. Add the sliced shallot and stir for 30 seconds until it softens and turns fragrant — don't let it scorch or it'll turn the sauce bitter. Pour in the cider vinegar and let it hiss against the pan for a few seconds, scraping up the fond from the bottom with a wooden spoon. That brown crust is where all the flavour lives.
6. Stir in both mustards and the chicken stock, then simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce turns glossy and coats the back of a spoon. Tip in any resting juices from the pork.
7. Taste the sauce now — it should read savoury, appley and properly mustardy, not sweet and flat. Adjust with salt and black pepper, taste again. Season at the pan, not at the table.
8. Toss the rocket with the chopped parsley so they're ready to bring pepper and freshness to the plate.
9. Plate the pork, spoon the charred apples and glossy mustard sauce generously over the top, pile the crispy thyme potatoes alongside, and finish with a handful of the rocket and parsley. Serve with crusty sourdough and a dressed green salad.