Lilly Ate This: Apple Braised Pork with Sauteed Chard and Cheesy Polenta

Whenever I make something new or different for dinner, I hold my breath as soon as I put it in front of Lillian, waiting to see what she does. Will she eat it? Will she scream? On a number of occasions I’ve been pleasantly surprised. We’ll see if I can keep this up as a series, but for now lets just celebrate this win: Braised pork roast with apples over sauteed chard and cheesy polenta. 

She was pretty skeptical at first. Turned up her nose but once I sat down with my plate and then Daddy with his, she gave it a shot. And she liked it! She asked for MORE! She even ate some of the chard (greens are typically met with militance these days). 

Beyond the enormous, unexpected toddler win this was a pretty big hit with the adults. Frankly, I just sort of thew it together and wasn’t expecting to share it. But I’ll try to give you an estimation of the pork recipe because its a savory/sweet stick-to-your-ribs meal that’s both easy and SO TASTY. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Starting with a 1.5 to 2 lb piece of pork shoulder roast, cut it into 1 inch chunks. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Heat about 1 Tbs. of oil in a large, ovensafe pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add pork and brown until you’ve got a good sear on all sides (I drop in the pork and walk away for about 5 minutes to let it really sear before I’m tempted to touch the meat. Flip it over and do it again). Once seared, remove the meat from the pot. Add about 1 Tbs. of butter to the pan drippings and toss in a 1/2 cup of chopped onion. Sautee until softened, then add 1/4 cup of white wine. Allow it to boil for about a minute. Then add the pork back in along with 1 cup of apple juice. Cover the pot and stick it in the oven for about 2 hours, stirring once. Once the pork is fork tender, pull it out of the oven and add 1 cup of water and 2 apples that have been peeled, cored and cut into wedges. Place pot back on stove over medium heat with the cover partially on and simmer until sauce has thickened and apples are tender. 

Serve with greens over cheesy grits or polenta.