The Best Pork Chops I've Ever Made

I was watching something on television the other day, which is a shocker all by itself since I never watch TV, and someone mentioned something about "loving the pig".  I do love the pig.  We should all love the pig. 

When I was a little girl my family took me to the Iowa State Fair, one of the "oldest and largest agricultural expositions in the country."  This particular Fair has it all.  Rides. The BEST roasted "peaches & cream" corn. Candy Apples. Fried Oreos. Fried Twinkies. Fried Snickers. A "Butter" Cow. Rodeo. The 4H Club.

And Piglets. 

These little guys were the cutest things I've ever seen.  I got to hold one, and it nuzzled into me and slept like a baby.  I was hooked.  They only cost $20!!  Dad!! Can I take it home??? Please!?!?!?

My Dad, being the smart man that he is, then proceeded to show me what they would look like in about 3 months.  400 pounds of pig.  Not so cute or cuddly anymore. 

While I didn't buy a pig that day, my "love" of the pig stayed with my family for years.  They bought me all kinds of pig paraphernalia until I ran away to college.  I still get teased about my "pig" phase to this day.  And, to top it off, I couldn't bring myself to eat pig for approximately 15 years after that day.  What?  That little piglet was sooooooo cute!!  I couldn't eat him....

I'm glad I got over it eventually though, because if I hadn't, I wouldn't be able to share with you the most delicious, and easiest, pork chop you've ever tasted.

Ingredients

2 bone-in pork chops
5 anchovy filets
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 tbsp olive oil (I eyeballed this one)
salt and pepper

1) Mash together the anchovy fillets and the garlic to make a paste.  Add the olive oil, salt and pepper, and mix.
2) Coat both sides of your pork chops with the anchovy mixture and let it marinate at room temperature for 30-45min.  If this weirds you out, marinate for a couple hours in the fridge, but make sure you let the chop come back to room temperature before cooking it.

3) Grill the chops for 8-10 minutes, turning twice (to get the pretty grill marks).

DONE.

So easy, so delicious!

I served this with rosemary roasted potatoes and sauteed beet greens (from my CSA box).

And to drink: a 2008 Dom. Brunet Pinot Noir.  This light red paired wonderfully with the pork - it really let all the subtle flavors come through without overpowering them and I liked that the wine was just dry enough to almost "prep" the palate for each bite of the sweet/savory pork.