Pork Chops with Cheesy Grits & Jammy Tomatoes

We aren't big fans of grits... both of us just haven't had yummy, delicious grits so we typically never order them. A few weeks back we had a really great meal at a local restaurant and I ordered shrimp & grits and it was amazing. So I decided to look for a recipe that had grits and came across this one. Needless to say the grits were really tasty, probably because they had cheese and lots of flavor added :-:-). The jammy tomato mixture is sweet and tangy at the same time and goes really well with the pork and grits. Here's how I made it and it will make enough for 2 peeps.

ingredients

• 1/2 cup quick-cooking grits
• 1 oz grated cheddar
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• Kosher salt & black pepper
• 2 bone in pork chops, 1" thick
• 1/2 tsp hot paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tbsp EVOO
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes
• 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

directions

1. Cook the grits according to the package instructions, then stirring in the cheddar, butter, S&P during the last minute of cooking. Don't cook the grits until your pork chops are almost ready as they tend to stiffen up if you don't serve them right away.

2. Season the pork on both sides with paprika, salt, pepper & garlic powder. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and cook the pork on each side for 6-8 minutes. Remove and tent with tin foil to let rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

3. Add the tomatoes, vinegar (stand back when adding vinegar) & sugar to the drippings of the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes. The consistency should be syrupy and the tomatoes should be almost falling apart and soft.

4. Serve the pork on a bed of grits and the jammy tomatoes on top. Sprinkle some fresh parsley over each serving.

Enjoy!

These recipes adapted from Real Simple.