Savory Pork Chops pan seared in Brown Butter with sage…

You never know where you’ll find things that will inspire you, or even haunt you to dig in deeper to certain topics…. or tastes. When Mr. Splendid suggested we take a hike in Pigna, Italy at the base of the Italian Alps I did not imagine that I would end up lunching at the legendary Ristorante Trattoria Terme enjoying the most succulent, flavorful veal chop I’d ever devoured, prepared in a nutty brown butter and sage situation, washed down with refreshing sips of dry, effervescent Prosecco. But, once I did, I knew this dish was something I needed to master. I am happy to say I have finally mastered my best version of that recipe to share with you today.

Savory sage brown butter pork chops, Ristorante Trattoria Terme, splendid pork chops, Frenched pork chops, Italian Alps, sage, butter, culinary inspiration — Frenched pork chops pan seared in brown butter and sage

These juicy, crispy, fragrant, flavorful chops are actually quite quick and easy to prepare and they only require six ingredients including salt and pepper! Fresh sage leaves are the divas of this concert of flavors and textures. I have a couple of sage plants growing in my gardens, they grow to be beautiful hedges about 4′ x 4′ in size and beautifully complement the surrounding flowers. I probably use the branches more in flower arrangements than for culinary endeavors, until now. If you haven’t planted any yet, you can usually find fresh sage in the produce section of your market.

Fresh Sage leaves, potager — Fresh Sage leaves from the Potager

Brown Butter Sage Pork Chops

yield: 4 splendid chops

Ingredients

4 Frenched pork chops {mine were about 2 inches thick}

40 fresh Sage leaves {approximately}

4 tablespoons salted butter

1/4 cup flour

salt and pepper

Preparation

For best results, leave the chops at room temperature for an hour or so before cooking, allowing them to come to room temperature so they will cook more evenly. Sprinkle both sides of the meat with sea salt and grinds of pepper to your taste. You can use any pork {or veal} chop. I am madly in love with these “Frenched” pork chops from Trader Joe’s! The term “Frenched” just means that the meat has been trimmed from the tip of the bone. These chops are about 2 inches thick, but you can use any thickness, varying the cooking time to achieve an internal temperature of 145 degrees.

Frenched pork chops, salt, pepper, carerra marble counters — Frenched pork chops

Pick the sage leaves from the stems, lightly rinse them and place them on a paper towel, blot to absorb any droplets. Select about 20 of your favorite leaves for garnishing the chops.

sage leaves, fresh sage leaves, drying, paper towel — Sage leaves

Stack the other {unchosen} leaves and thinly slice them. On a large dinner plate spill the flour, sprinkle the salt, grind the pepper and add the sliced sage leaves.

pork chop coating, pork chop dusting, salt, pepper, sliced sage leaves — Sliced sage, flour, salt and pepper

Then toss the ingredients together with your clean, dry fingers and set aside.

pork chop coating, pork chop dusting, salt, pepper, sliced sage leaves, mixed with your clean, dry fingers

In a large skillet melt 3 tablespoons of the salted butter {I prefer Tillamook sea salted, extra creamery butter} over medium heat until golden, frothy and just beginning to brown. I’ve tested this recipe in a cast iron skillet, but actually prefer the results from my non-stick skillet.

melted butter, Tillamook sea salted creamery butter — Tillamook sea salt creamery butter, melted and frothy, just beginning to turn brown

Place the whole “chosen leaves” into the butter and allow them to sizzle for 1-2 minutes then use tongs or a fork to turn them over and sizzle until just crisp {about a minute}. Use the tongs or fork to place them on a salad plate {it’s okay if it’s chipped ;}. Set aside. Watch the video from my Instagram feed to see how it looks over there -> -> -> -> ->.

Sage leaves, sage leaves sautéed in brown butter, brown butter sage leaves, crispy sage leaves — Fresh sage leaves sautéed in butter

Slide the skillet off of the heat while you prepare your chops. Press the chops into the flour mixture and flip over to lightly coat the other side. You only want a thin dusting of flour. Press the sides of the chops into the flour for a dusting as well. You can pinch up more of the sliced sage leaves to better distribute them on the surfaces.

frenched pork chop, frenched pork chop lightly dusted with flour, slices of sage, salt and pepper, fresh sage leaves, sliced sage leaves — Frenched pork chop dusted with flour, sage slices, salt and pepper

Return the skillet over medium high heat, add the other tablespoon of butter and allow it to melt. Then place the chops in the pan and allow them to brown for 2 – 5 minutes {depending on the thickness of your cuts}.

Melted butter, warm butter in a skillet, frenched pork chop, frenched pork chop lightly dusted with flour, slices of sage, salt and pepper, fresh sage leaves, sliced sage leaves — Beginning the searing, Frenched pork chops with flour, sage S & P

When they’ve reached a nice golden color {with just a bit of char, if you like such things} flip them over and do 2 -5 minutes {depending on the thickness of your cuts} on the other side until they achieve the golden goodness of your desire.

Golden brown pork chops, Frenched pork chops with a little char, Melted butter, warm butter in a skillet, frenched pork chop, frenched pork chop lightly dusted with flour, slices of sage, salt and pepper, fresh sage leaves, sliced sage leaves

If your chops are thick, use tongs to brown their sides in the bubbly butter.

Golden brown pork chops, Frenched pork chops with a little char, how to cook the edges, tongs, Melted butter, warm butter in a skillet, frenched pork chop, frenched pork chop lightly dusted with flour, slices of sage, salt and pepper, fresh sage leaves, sliced sage leaves — Using tongs to brown all of the sides of the pork chop

You can also lay the chops on their sides, leaning them against each other to let the sides brown.

If the color isn’t to your liking after the first searing, you can also brown the cut sides for another minute or two to achieve more color and crunchy texture. Cook the chops until they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees. I use this Javelin instant read thermometer. Insert the tip into multiple spots, trying to get the tip to the center thickness of the chop to get an accurate/averaged read.

rest time, Golden brown pork chops, Frenched pork chops with a little char, how to cook the edges, tongs, Melted butter, warm butter in a skillet, frenched pork chop, frenched pork chop lightly dusted with flour, slices of sage, salt and pepper, fresh sage leaves, sliced sage leaves — Pan seared Frenched pork chops

Allow the chops to rest 5-7 minutes. Then top them with the crisped sage leaves and and serve them up.

Fresh sage leaves in brown butter, crispy sage leaves on pork chops, Golden brown pork chops, Frenched pork chops with a little char, how to cook the edges, tongs, Melted butter, warm butter in a skillet, frenched pork chop, frenched pork chop lightly dusted with flour, slices of sage, salt and pepper, fresh sage leaves, sliced sage leaves — Pan seared Frenched pork chops topped with sautéed sage leaves

I hope you enjoy creating this spectacular and pleasing, Italian~influenced creation for your family and friends, I am sure they will love you for your efforts! The chop alone is so satisfying I keep the sides simple, I find just a little wild rice and simply steamed vegetables is all you need.

If you’d like to learn more about OG inspiring chop here is a shot of it, Click on Adventures in the Italian Alps to read more about it and the remarkable Ristorante Trattoria Terme where we first became acquainted.

The OG veal chop, browned butter sage sauce, Ristorante Trattoria Terme, Adventures in the Italian Alps, sage, fresh sage, Pigna, Italy — Here is the original veal chop that inspired this recipe, to read the full story click on Adventures in the Italian Alps.

Buon Appetito!

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