Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) plus 1/3 of a cup, divided
  • 1 package (4 links) andouille sausage, chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 4 bone-in pork rib chops, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4 ribs celery, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 small red onions, 2 chopped and 1 sliced, divided
  • 4 cloves garlic, 3 chopped, 1 cracked peeled and left whole
  • 1 fresh bay leaf
  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from the stem
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons hot sauce, to taste, plus a dash for the salad dressing
  • 4 cups French bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided
  • 1 1/2 pounds green beans
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 ounces of whisky, such as Southern Comfort (about 2 of the small, airplane-size bottles)
  • 3 tablespoons cold butter

Yield

Serves: 4 servings

Preparation

Preheat oven at 400F and place a medium-size pot of salted water over high heat.

While the water is coming up to a boil, place a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Add the chopped andouille sausage and cook, stirring every couple of minutes until it is brown and crisp, about 4-5 minutes.

While the sausage is cooking, place a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Season the pork chops liberally with salt and pepper, and place in the hot skillet. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side until brown. Transfer skillet to the oven to finish cooking, about 10-12 minutes.

To the skillet with the sausage, add the celery, green bell pepper, chopped red onion, 3 cloves of chopped garlic, bay leaf, thyme and hot sauce to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the bread cubes and enough chicken stock to moisten the bread, about 1 1/2 cups; you want the bread to just barely stick together with the andouille and veggies. Remove the bay leaf and take off the heat to keep warm.

Add the green beans to the pot of boiling salted water. Cook 1-2 minutes for crunchy beans or 4-5 minutes for softer beans. Rub the inside of a large bowl with the whole garlic clove. Add the mustard, honey, white wine vinegar and a dash of hot sauce and whisk to combine. In a slow steady stream, whisk in 1/3 cup of EVOO. Add the sliced red onions and the warm beans, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

Remove the pork chops from the oven and transfer to a plate. Cover loosely with foil and let rest. Add the Southern Comfort to the pork chop skillet away from the heat then return the skillet to the stovetop over medium heat to let the alcohol cook out. (Remember: the handle is very hot so use a kitchen towel or pot holder to move it about.) Once it is done flaming, scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release the brown bits. Add the remaining 1 cup of chicken stock and turn the heat up to high, cooking until the stock has reduced by half. Turn the heat off and add the butter, stirring until it has completely melted.

To serve, divide the andouille-French bread stuffing between 4 plates, top each portion with a pork chop then pour a little of the Southern Comfort sauce over the top of each chop. Serve the green bean salad alongside.