Ep18: Bone-In Pork Chops with Roasted Potatoes and Braised Fennel from the Wood Oven

Bone-In Pork Chops are fantastic to prepare in the wood oven. They develop a beautiful golden crust and delicious flavour, especially when you flambé them in some Calvados towards the end of cooking. I serve them with some roasted potatoes, braised fennel, and slices of sautéed apples.
Bone-In Pork Chops
Salt and Pepper
Fennel Powder*
1/4 cup Calvados (or Bourbon or Brandy) optional
*if you don’t have any fennel powder you can toast some fennel seeds in the oven and grind them in a spice grinder.
6 to 8 Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
Olive oil
Sage leaves, chopped
Salt and Pepper
4 Fennel heads, trimmed, quartered and some of the center removed
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup hard cider
Thyme
Lemon Verbena leaves (or lemon peel)
1 or 2 Apples, cored and sliced
Butter
1/2 cup Hard Cider
Optional: Skim off the fat from the pan juices and drizzle over the pork. Add more cider if there's not enough, and reduce down for a few minutes.
The wine is a 2013 Domaine Dagueneau "Blanc Fumé de Pouilly".