Lemon Pork Chops with Oven Potatoes

Serves 4 · 20′ prep, about 1½ hours in the oven. The clever detail: the chops go around the edge of the tray with their fat against the walls, so the fat renders and crisps while everything steams under foil.

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg pork chops
• 6 potatoes
• 100 g olive oil
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1–2 tbsp mustard
• Lemon zest and juice
• 1 clove garlic
• 1–2 tbsp honey
• 2–3 sprigs oregano
• 3–4 sprigs thyme
• 200 ml water
• Pepper
• Fresh oregano and thyme leaves, to serve

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 190 °C, fan.
2. Make the marinade: blend the olive oil, bouillon cubes, mustard, lemon zest and juice, garlic, and honey in a food processor until smooth, then pour it into a large roasting tray.
3. Cut the potatoes into cubes and add them to the tray.
4. Stand each chop upright on a cutting board and score the fat at 1 cm intervals down to the bone — the cuts help it roast up crisp.
5. Add the chops to the tray with the oregano, thyme, and pepper and toss everything well. Arrange the chops around the edge, fat side against the tray walls. (For deeper flavor, cover and refrigerate for up to 12 hours at this point.)
6. Pour in the water, seal the tray tightly with foil, and bake for 1 hour.
7. Remove the foil, give the potatoes a stir and flip the chops, then bake for another 30–60 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated and everything takes on good color.
8. Serve scattered with fresh oregano and thyme.