Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Green Beans
This is a two-stage skillet dinner: the pork sears first and rests while the green beans cook in the fat and browned bits it leaves behind. The chops come out with a dark, dry-edged crust and a juicy center; the beans come out blistered in spots, still snappy, and carrying the savory residue from the meat. The seasoning is plain on purpose — garlic powder and onion powder toast into the crust rather than sitting on the surface. Use the powders here rather than fresh garlic. A pan hot enough to brown pork in four minutes will turn minced garlic black and bitter long before the meat is done, while the dried powders can take that heat. Thickness matters more than anything else: three-quarter to one-inch boneless chops are what these times assume. If yours are closer to half an inch, cut the sear to two or three minutes a side and start checking the temperature early, because thin chops go from pink to chalky in under a minute. Timing works out because the beans cook during the pork's rest — don't try to overlap them any earlier or the pan gets crowded and steams. Trim the beans before you start. Leftover pork reheats poorly and toughens; slice it cold instead. The beans are good at room temperature.
