ChefSteps is a team of chefs, writers, and food lovers who develop recipes, techniques, and guides to help people cook better at home.

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Pork chops are for comfort. The uncomplicated pleasure of a petal-pink, juicy chop signals homey meals served with love in a cozy kitchen eating nook—kids poking each other under the table, parents trying in vain to inquire about each other’s day, snow pelting the windows and melting off boots in the mudroom. Accompanying this porky family favorite is an equally popular—and equally simple—accessory. A <a href="/activities/warm-mustard-potato-salad">warm potato salad</a>, say. Or sautéed onions flecked with thyme. But the ultimate pork chop accessory, the one immortalized by a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7rZEPVttuY">Bogart-imitating Peter Brady</a>, is applesauce. The sweet, fresh apple notes pair perfectly with pork to create a flavor duo that’s hard to argue with. But you can improve on this combo, and it’s really easy to do. Instead of reaching for the jar of Mott’s, whip up a fresh apple purée using tart Granny Smiths. We start by <a href="/activities/sous-vide-pork-chop">cooking some pork chops sous vide</a>, and as they cook, we whip up this five-ingredient fruit mash and <a href="/activities/a-zesty-brussels-slaw-you-can-whip-up-in-a-flash">a brussels slaw</a>. The whole meal comes together in about an hour, creating a go-to dinner that’s as family friendly as anything Alice would have cooked, but with an elegant, freshly made edge that updates it for our era.